Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan reckons Virat Kohli will be hungrier than ever to win successive IPL trophies. Kohli won his maiden IPL title with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2025. RCB defeated Punjab Kings by six runs in the previous edition of the tournament under Rajat Patidar’s captaincy.

Kohli scored 43 runs off 35 balls in the summit clash against the Mohali-based franchise in Ahmedabad. The talisman played an instrumental role in taking RCB to glory in IPL 2025 as he scored 657 runs in 15 matches of the tournament at an average of 54.75 and a strike rate of 144.71. He was the leading run-getter for the franchise in the previous edition.

“The hunger in Virat Kohli will be there. In fact, he will be hungrier than ever, especially after lifting the IPL trophy last season. He will want to win back-to-back IPL trophies. That hunger in him to win and create an impact is always going to be there. We have seen that when he played for India, especially in the one-day series against South Africa and New Zealand. He looks like he wants to make an impact in every game. I think he will have the same kind of passion when he returns this season. He will want to lift the trophy once again,” Pathan said on JioHotstar.

Kohli’s wait for an elusive IPL trophy ended after 18 years in the previous season, and he would want to once again deliver for RCB. The veteran scored 240 runs in three ODI matches against New Zealand before the T20 World Cup 2026 at an average of 80.

RCB will begin their IPL defense against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Bengaluru on 28th March.