Virat Kohli and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will get their IPL 2026 campaign underway in the season opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad, on Saturday. Former cricketer Aakash Chopra backed the veteran to perform as an opener for RCB, praising his fitness and also felt that it would be similar for Rohit Sharma. But when it came to MS Dhoni, he felt that it could be a ‘little difficult’ for the CSK star due to his age.
Dhoni is already 44 years old and is also expected to don the gloves as a wicketkeeper for Chennai. But the arrival of Sanju Samson could also see Dhoni perform as an Impact Player, coming in to only bat.
“It is a little difficult for Dhoni as well because he is on the wrong side of 40. For him, not to play anything for 10 months, turn up for the IPL and switch on, and also play at a number where he gets only 10-12 balls, is the toughest thing to do. Then there are also 20 overs of keeping, so his job is perhaps the toughest,” he said, speaking on JioStar.
Kohli is the all-time top run-scorer in IPL history with 8661 runs in 267 matches. Throughout his IPL career, he has played only for RCB, making his debut in the inaugural season. He also has the record for most runs in a single season (973 in 2016), and has the most tons (8) in the tournament’s history.
“The focus will be on Virat Kohli again because the guy is so fit. The kind of fitness that he has achieved over a period of time makes him the best suited, also because he is an opener. The same is true for Rohit Sharma as well, but between the two of them, I still feel Virat Kohli has it a little easier just because of himself. That is the price he has to pay for the kind of fitness and legacy he has built,” he said.
