Virat Kohli ignores Travis Head’s handshake after SRH thrash RCB as o…

Tempers flared, and egos peaked in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad contest on Friday, and of course, it involved Virat Kohli. SRH handed a 55-run thrashing to the defending champions to end their league stage of IPL 2026 on a high note. The game saw Kohli and Travis Head involved in a heated on-field banter before it spilled over after the game ended, where Kohli refused to shake hands with Head.

Kohli snubs Head’s handshake

The on-field incident occurred when Kohli was batting along with Venkatesh Iyer. The RCB batter was seen making an ‘X’ gesture with his hands, while hurling a mouthful at Head. The SRH star, instead of responding, just smirked. Commentators suggested that the RCB batter was asking the SRH star to roll his arm over or leave the field as an impact player. Kohli managed to score just 15 runs from 11 balls in the run chase. goldparty.lat

While Kohli shook hands with the rest of the SRH players after the game, he simply ignored Head’s handshake and instead shook hands with Ishan Kishan, who was behind him.

Right from the point where the chase started, it was pretty clear, that the 256-run target was out of reach for RCB. So, they perhaps did the smart thing, but not losing a lot of wickets — and aimed to get to 178, that was needed to finish on top. Apart from 44 from 19 by Venkatesh Iyer, all other other batters were relatively slow. Padikkal got 21 from 14, Krunal got 41 from 31 and skipper Patidar got 56 from 39.

Abhishek Sharma was dropped thrice before scoring 56 from 22. Then Ishan Kishan (79) and Heinrich Klaasen (51) got into the act and stitched a partnership of 113 in 8 overs. Nitish Kumar Reddy took over and his cameo boosted SRH to 255/4 after 20 overs. It was at that very moment, on a difficult pitch, that Hyderabad had made a winning statement.

As a result of yesterday’s win, SRH will play the Eliminator while RCB will play the Qualifier 1 against GT in Dharamshala.

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Watching Sunrisers Hyderabad’s win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru last night felt like yet another batting skewed pitch being exploited at the expense of the bowlers, but the match brought out some emotional truths. Beneath the scorecard sat something far more revealing about leadership and some winning tactics that might be of relevance in what promises to be a tough playoffs.

For years now, Royal Challengers Bengaluru have existed as perhaps the most emotionally charged team in the IPL. No franchise carries an atmosphere quite like them. No team can convert a boundary into collective theatre with the same intensity. The Chinnaswamy is not merely a stadium on certain nights; it becomes a living organism feeding off adrenaline, expectation and noise. But the moment you talk about an away game, and when pressure tightens and the game slows into uncomfortable tactical spaces, uncertainty begins to creep in. Virat Kohli’s brief sojourn at the crease was indicative of this. While not taking anything away from Sakib Hussain’s prodigious use of the pace-off delivery, It is almost as if the side occasionally plays the emotion of the occasion instead of the rhythm of the match itself.

SRH did not appear consumed by the occasion. They looked detached from it with no panic attached to phases of the game. Pat Cummins captains like someone managing emotional temperature. Modern T20 leagues are overloaded with information, noise, external judgement and nightly overreaction. In such an environment, calm itself becomes a tactical advantage. Meanwhile, Eshan Malinga and Sakib have made the pace-off delivery their calling card.

One graphic on the broadcast last night was very revealing. The franchise that has leveraged the pace-off delivery to the hilt is Sunrisers Hyderabad. Guess who were bottom on the list? Yes, Mumbai Indians! They continue to turn a blind eye to how the format is changing in front of their eyes. Interestingly, Royal Challengers Bangalore is also not much ahead and that is why they have struggled to pick up wickets this season. As they make their way to Qualifier 1 at Dharamshala, the question to ask is will Gujarat Titans have an ace up their sleeves? Would a 200 plus total from the Titans throw the Challengers into a similar emotional disarray?

On the flip side, SRH thrives not because they are flawless. Their season has still contained inconsistency, tactical confusion and moments of collapse. But teams peaking emotionally at the right time become disproportionately threatening in tournaments like the IPL. And history would stand testimony to this fact. Sides that arrive in the playoffs carrying clarity rather than hype often outperform teams that spent the season dominating headlines. It of course helps that Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan are in the form of their lives and Heinrich Klaasen has just hit a purple patch.

So the match last night was on paper of no major consequence. Both sides had made it to the playoffs. But the lingering question, especially since the playoffs are not at Chinnaswamy, is RCB at a disadvantage? And does SRH have a psychological advantage to add to their arsenal? No pun intended there!

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Captain Gaikwad’s poor form

Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad failed to lead from the front this season. As an opener, he struggled to find his rhythm and managed just 337 runs in 14 games. His poor strike-rate of 123.44 not only affected his own form but also hampered the team’s momentum at the top. He failed to provide the explosive start required in modern T20 cricket, as CSK failed to cross 70-plus nine times in the Powerplay. His batting slump also impacted his confidence as a leader.

Lack of 200-plus totals

The ongoing IPL edition has seen teams batting first post 200-plus totals with ease — 32 in 66 games — and has also witnessed the highest number of successful 200-plus chases (16). However, CSK’s batters failed to keep pace, managing 200-plus scores just thrice in eight innings while batting first. They were bowled out for 127 in their opening game against Rajasthan Royals and managed only 158-7 against Gujarat Titans. These below-par totals left their bowlers with little margin for error, resulting in five defeats.

Injuries derail campaign

Ayush Mhatre

CSK’s campaign was severely affected by constant injuries. Former skipper MS Dhoni did not play the entire season due to a calf and thumb injuries. The team lost pacer Khaleel Ahmed early in the tournament to a quadriceps injury. The biggest blow came when in-form youngster Ayush Mhatre (201 in six games at a strike-rate of 177.88) was ruled out with a hamstring injury. Pacer Jamie Overton (14 wickets in 10 games), who had taken three or more wickets thrice, was also ruled out with a thigh injury, adding to CSK’s woes as they lost their last three must-win games in his absence.

Inconsistent team selection

Sarfaraz Khan

CSK are known for sticking with a settled XI, but that wasn’t the case this season. The team management frequently shuffled the line-up. Middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan, despite an impressive strike-rate of 169.47 (161 runs off 95 balls), did not feature in the playing XI after the first eight matches. Spinner Akeal Hosein was in and out of the side despite some impactful performances, while spin-bowling all-rounder Prashant Veer, who was bought for R14.2 crore, went underutilised with the ball, bowling in just one out of the six matches he played.

Powerplay bowling struggles

The new-ball bowlers failed to provide early breakthroughs, claiming just 16 wickets in 14 games in the Powerplay. CSK’s Playoffs hopes took a hit in the initial overs itself in two of their last three games. While defending 188 against Lucknow Super Giants, the Overton-less attack conceded 86-0 in the first six overs. In the final league match, Gujarat Titans raced to 62-0 in the Powerplay and eventually posted 229-4, taking the game away from CSK.

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Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami flagged off the ‘Niti Xtreme Ultra Countdown Run’ in Dehradun on Friday, marking the beginning of preparations for the high-altitude endurance event in the Niti Valley region of Chamoli district.

The run, organised by the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board, started from the CM Camp Office premises in Dehradun and witnessed enthusiastic participation from young runners and adventure sports enthusiasts.

Addressing participants, Dhami described the ‘Niti Xtreme Ultra Run’ as more than just a sporting event, calling it a movement aimed at creating new opportunities, boosting confidence and promoting adventure tourism in Uttarakhand. He praised the youth for their commitment and patriotic spirit.

The Chief Minister said the ultra run would test not only physical endurance but also mental strength, patience and determination, especially because it is being held in the challenging terrain of the Himalayan Niti Valley.

Dhami also termed the participants as “brand ambassadors” of Uttarakhand’s tourism, courage and culture, adding that such events help showcase the state’s adventure potential on a larger platform.

The upcoming Niti Xtreme Ultra Run is scheduled to take place in the remote Himalayan region near the Indo-China border and will feature multiple race categories, including 75 km, 42 km, 21 km, 10 km and 5 km events.

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