Virat Kohli’s playful “Naagin dance” has once again lit up the IPL spotlight, but this time it couldn’t stop Royal Challengers Bengaluru from suffering a setback. On Sunday, RCB tasted their first defeat of IPL 2026, going down to Rajasthan Royals by six wickets in a match played in Guwahati. Bengaluru looked well-set with a strong batting effort of 201/8, yet Rajasthan chased the target with two overs remaining, powered by a sensational innings from teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and an unbeaten finish from Dhruv Jurel.
RCB’s first IPL 2026 loss: what happened
- RCB batted first in Guwahati and finished their 20 overs on 201/8.
- Skipper Rajat Patidar was the top scorer for Bengaluru, striking 63 off 40 balls.
- Rajasthan then mounted a successful chase, reaching the target with two overs to spare.
- Sooryavanshi stole the show with a rapid 78 from just 26 deliveries.
- Dhruv Jurel remained unbeaten, contributing 81 off 43 balls to guide RR to victory.
After Bengaluru’s first loss of the season, attention quickly shifted from the scoreboard to a viral clip from an RCB training session. The video, whose exact match or venue details have not been confirmed, shows Kohli going through his trademark “Naagin dance.” The celebration sparked smiles and laughter among RCB’s coaching staff and even fans seated in the stands.
Kohli’s dance has become a familiar sight across formats. He had earlier performed the same celebration during a Test match against Bangladesh in Chennai in 2024, and later repeated it in an ODI against South Africa in 2025.
Back on the cricket front, 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi proved to be the standout performer for Rajasthan. His explosive 78 off 26 balls set the tone for the chase and swung momentum firmly in RR’s favour.
Following the match, Kohli shared a special moment with Sooryavanshi. The former India captain signed the youngster’s Rajasthan Royals cap and added a note: “Dear Vaibhav, well done.”
Rajasthan captain Riyan Parag also lavished praise on the teenager during the post-match presentation. Parag said that everyone enjoys having Sooryavanshi around, highlighting his cheerful, fun-loving nature and expressing confidence in his talent: “I think everyone loves him. Everyone loves having him around. He likes eating stuff. He likes going out and stuff like that. So we make sure we make that available for him. And he’s a 16-year-old kid, 15-year-old, whatever it is. Yeah, doing kiddish things. And he’s happy with that. He likes a lot of batting. So we make sure that is presented to him. And if he keeps on batting like that, I think whatever he wants,” Parag said.
