Jitesh Sharma, Rajat Patidar light up RCB’s first warm-up game ahead of IPL 2026

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru played their first practice match of the season and runs deluged in the friendly fire that the two sides in the camp engaged in. Ahead of the game in Chinnaswamy, RCB’s mentor and batting coach, Dinesh Karthik said, “It was about trying to get the whole squad in place but more importantly it was about trying to understand what every individual wants. It was also about trying to see that they get whatever they were trying to achieve.”

Ahead of the game, RCB’s head coach, Andy Flower laid down the rules. At one end it was a team captained by Krunal Pandya. At the other it was the hard-hitting southpaw from Madhya Pradesh, Venkatesh Iyer. Flower said, “It’s a game on our path towards our first match on the 28th. The challenge for you as a competitor is that you always have the job of getting one over your opponent.”

Andy’s message was loud and clear. He said, “Your job is to get one over your opponent.” Karthik chimed in, stating, “We see the likes of Virat, Salty and the rest of them having a hit. After the first innings ends, we will decide what we want to do in the second innings.”

Team Venky was off to a flyer as Jitesh Sharma led the charge for them. He smashed 81 off 37. Krunal Pandya said, “Some of the shots he played were really amazing.” Tim David also hammered a cracker, blasting 36 off 14. Venkatesh Iyer brought his own fire to the mix too, clobbering 30 off 16. The highlight for the RCB fans was none other than Virat Kohli who scored 29 off 12 balls.

Admiring Virat’s knock, KP said, “Some of the shots which Virat played today, were amazing. He’s looking good which is a great sign for us. So fingers crossed.”

Team Venky posted 234/7 from 20 overs, setting the tone perfectly for what was to come in the second innings. What followed thereafter was sheer carnage from the batters. Devdutt Padikkal hammered 63 off 33. Krunal Pandya clobbered 58 off 33. Captain Rajat Patidar came in with a whirlwind, rocking 74 runs off just 25 balls. At the end of it all, Team Krunal secured an emphatic win, posting 247 runs.