Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter Virat Kohli is enduring an unusually quiet stretch in IPL 2026. The RCB star has managed two consecutive ducks and has not reached a fifty in his last four matches, and that recent form has put extra focus on how he approaches his next innings. Ahead of RCB\u2019s Wednesday clash in Raipur, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) assistant coach Shane Watson shared his thoughts on Kohli\u2019s mindset and what the reigning challengers\u2019 rival will likely try to do with the bat.<\/p>\n
Kohli\u2019s current struggles were highlighted in RCB\u2019s previous outing against Mumbai Indians (MI), where he was dismissed for a golden duck. He fell after striking at an aggressive shot, and that dismissal added to a spell that has seen him repeatedly fail to convert starts into substantial scores.<\/p>\n
Watson, who works as an assistant coach with KKR, said he hopes Kohli will display a similar attacking approach as he did in the last game. Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Watson suggested that Kohli could look to go for a more forceful stroke right from the start of his innings.<\/p>\n
The matchup in Raipur carries significant tournament weight. KKR have clawed their way back into playoff contention with four straight victories. After a difficult start in which they went winless in their first six IPL 2026 games, a win against RCB on Wednesday would place them only two points away from the playoff places.<\/p>\n
RCB, however, have motivation of their own. If they beat KKR, they would reclaim the No. 1 position on the points table, making the contest a high-stakes battle for both franchises.<\/p>\n
Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter Virat Kohli is enduring an unusually quiet stretch in IPL 2026. The RCB star has managed two consecutive ducks and has…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":9420,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Shane Watson on Kohli Slump Ahead of RCB vs KKR IPL","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Shane Watson weighs in on Virat Kohli\u2019s IPL slump ahead of RCB vs KKR in Raipur, discussing mindset, match plans and what comes next.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n