{"id":1221,"date":"2026-04-08T14:44:49","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T14:44:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/basit-ali-kamran-akmal-credit-virat-kohli-for-rcbs-balanced-ipl-shift"},"modified":"2026-04-08T14:44:49","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T14:44:49","slug":"basit-ali-kamran-akmal-credit-virat-kohli-for-rcbs-balanced-ipl-shift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/basit-ali-kamran-akmal-credit-virat-kohli-for-rcbs-balanced-ipl-shift","title":{"rendered":"Basit Ali, Kamran Akmal Credit Virat Kohli for RCB\u2019s Balanced IPL Shift"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former Pakistan cricketers Basit Ali and Kamran Akmal believe Virat Kohli is the driving force behind Royal Challengers Bengaluru\u2019s (RCB) sharp shift from a batting-led side to a more balanced, all-round unit. With RCB sitting unbeaten in IPL 2026 after winning both of their opening matches, the duo highlighted how the franchise\u2019s cricketing structure and on-field roles appear to have evolved significantly since last season.<\/p>\n

RCB\u2019s evolution praised by Basit Ali and Kamran Akmal<\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Basit Ali said RCB no longer rely heavily on their batters, pointing to the quality of the bowling resources available to the team this season.<\/li>\n
  2. He explained that his earlier impression\u2014around four or five years ago\u2014was that RCB\u2019s bowling strength looked insufficient, but that perception has changed due to better impact from the bowling group and a strengthened overall balance.<\/li>\n
  3. Basit named Jacob Duffy and Krunal Pandya as examples of players he feels have made a noticeable difference to RCB\u2019s performances.<\/li>\n
  4. He credited Kohli as the \u201cmastermind\u201d shaping the side\u2019s direction on the ground, adding that while the captaincy name may be Rajat Patidar, Kohli\u2019s influence is visible in how the team executes its plans.<\/li>\n
  5. Basit also singled out Tim David, describing his hitting style as \u201cbook cricket\u201d \u2014 clean, direct, and consistently productive in the form of fours and sixes.<\/li>\n
  6. In the same discussion, Kamran Akmal offered praise to RCB\u2019s leadership group, specifically highlighting head coach Andy Flower and mentor Dinesh Karthik for the planning work happening behind the scenes.<\/li>\n
  7. Akmal said he had been watching some of their videos and felt their preparation had begun roughly 1\u20132 months earlier, focused on identifying what the team needed to do in the present phase.<\/li>\n
  8. Akmal expressed surprise that Mumbai Indians released Tim David, adding that he hopes RCB will retain the batter for the long run rather than lose him after a short stint.<\/li>\n
  9. He further argued that RCB are starting to look like a complete side, praising the depth of their batting line-up and saying the batting order has so much variety that even the \u201cnext turns\u201d in the order feel packed with threat.<\/li>\n
  10. Akmal said earlier editions of the team sometimes accepted compromises in the bowling department, but insisted that the current group has ended that trade-off and looks like a different outfit altogether.<\/li>\n
  11. He complimented Kohli\u2019s aggressive approach, noting that Kohli appears to have become even more forceful this season, and that each year he seems to set himself up with the mindset required for modern T20 cricket.<\/li>\n
  12. Akmal concluded by saying he expects other teams to struggle to defeat RCB, underlining Kohli\u2019s hunger, intent, and the way his approach shapes how the side plays.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Former Pakistan cricketers Basit Ali and Kamran Akmal believe Virat Kohli is the driving force behind Royal Challengers Bengaluru\u2019s (RCB) sharp shift from a batting-led…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1219,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Virat Kohli\u2019s Impact on RCB Turnaround in IPL 2026","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Basit Ali and Kamran Akmal explain how Virat Kohli helped RCB become more balanced in IPL 2026, powering an unbeaten start with two wins.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1221","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\nVirat Kohli\u2019s Impact on RCB Turnaround in IPL 2026<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Basit Ali and Kamran Akmal explain how Virat Kohli helped RCB become more balanced in IPL 2026, powering an unbeaten start with 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