Virat Kohli laughs off report on alleged London flight demand from RCB management

Star India batter Virat Kohli has reacted to a viral post claiming that he has made some special demands to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for the upcoming Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026). A viral post on Instagram claimed that Kohli has asked RCB to arrange a chartered flight between India and London throughout the course of the tournament.

The post also mentioned that the star batter will fly to London to be with his family if there’s more than a 3-day gap between matches. However, Kohli has brushed off the rumour, sharing the post with a laughing emoji on his Instagram account.

Notably, Kohli stays in London with his family and only visits India for his cricket and other professional commitments. The star batter is currently part of the RCB’s preparation camp ahead of the IPL 2026.

Kohli addressed the team during the first practice session of the season and mentioned the tough challenge that lay ahead in the upcoming edition.

“We worked really hard over the last two to three seasons to achieve what we did last year, and it’s only going to get tougher because other teams are going to come hard at us,” Kohli said in a video shared on RCB’s Instagram handle.

Emphasising the need to maintain high standards from the outset, he added, “We don’t waste these days. We stay ahead. So switch on now. Let’s not waste even a minute of any session that we are a part of. We must give our 120% for these two and a half months.”

RCB will enter their upcoming season as defending champions for the first time in their history, having won their maiden title in 2025 after beating Punjab Kings by six runs in the final.

RCB will begin their campaign as they take on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the curtain raiser of the tournament on March 28 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.