Tempers boiled over in a charged IPL 2026 clash between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bengaluru on May 22, with a sharp verbal spat between Virat Kohli and Travis Head spilling into the handshake line after the match. The flare-up took place while RCB were chasing a target of 256, and the exchange between the two batters quickly turned public as they traded barbs in the middle.
Head appeared to be the first to ignite the confrontation, urging Kohli to go for attacking strokes during his brief time in the middle. Kohli, known for never shying away from verbal duels, fired back with a sarcastic gesture that referenced Head’s stint as an Impact Player for SRH. The former RCB captain mimicked the “Impact Player” replacement signal and told Head to come down and bowl himself rather than continuing the chatter from the boundary or the field.
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan, who was working as part of the commentary team, broke down how the argument unfolded. Pathan said Kohli had invited Head to bowl off-spin and suggested that the Impact Player should come into action, adding that the banter reignited after that invitation. Pathan’s explanation captured the back-and-forth nature of the moment, where Kohli continued to push the point directly at Head.
In the end, Head did take the field to bowl for exactly one over, but it happened only after Kohli had already been dismissed. During that lone over, the SRH batter-turned-bowler struck by getting RCB captain Rajat Patidar out, a key moment that helped underline SRH’s control of the contest.
SRH ultimately sealed a 55-run win, and once the result was confirmed, players from both sides lined up for the customary post-match handshakes. During the exchange, Head extended his hand toward Kohli as if to reset the mood after the heated confrontation. However, Kohli completely ignored the gesture, walking past the Australian without acknowledging him or making eye contact.
At the same time, Kohli did continue to greet other SRH players and staff warmly, including captain Pat Cummins and opener Abhishek Sharma, making the refusal to shake Head’s hand stand out even more.
Harbhajan Singh also addressed the incident during his appearance on Star Sports, offering his take on what viewers saw. Harbhajan said Head had indeed put his hand forward, but Kohli did not shake it, adding that he didn’t know the exact reason. He pointed out that the banter between Kohli and Head in the middle had carried into the handshake line, and that the outcome of the confrontation was Kohli choosing not to shake Head’s hand.
