Virat Kohli injury update: Will RCB star be fit in time for LSG clash?

Mumbai: Royal Challengers Bengaluru breathed a collective sigh of relief after escaping the Wankhede with an 18-run win over Mumbai Indians on Sunday, but the victory came with a fresh fitness concern surrounding batting mainstay Virat Kohli. The 35-year-old, who had just compiled a typically busy 50 off 38 balls to anchor a dominant 240/4, spent the second innings off the field after an awkward movement left him nursing an ankle complaint.

Television cameras repeatedly panned to Kohli sitting in the dug-out while substitute Jacob Bethell patrolled the boundary in his place, raising immediate questions about his availability for Wednesday’s away fixture against Lucknow Super Giants. The sight of Mumbai counterpart Rohit Sharma also departing mid-innings with hamstring tightness only heightened the sense that two of the competition’s modern greats are managing bodies stretched by a compressed schedule.

Despite the scare, Kohli’s earlier work had already tilted the contest RCB’s way. He added 113 for the opening wicket with Phil Salt, raced to a 38-ball fifty and, in the process, became the first batter to accumulate 1,000 IPL runs against a single opposition. His 1,030 runs versus Mumbai Indians have come in 36 innings at an average of 32.18 and a strike rate of 129.23, studded with seven half-centuries and an unbeaten 92. The stand also marked his 47th century partnership in T20 cricket, nudging him past Chris Gayle’s previous record of 46.

After the match, stand-in skipper Rajat Patidar attempted to ease speculation around Kohli’s condition. “I do not know yet, but I think he, I feel that he is okay right now,” Patidar said, choosing his words carefully when pressed on whether the former captain would take the field against Lucknow. Patidar instead preferred to dwell on the collective effort that delivered RCB’s second win of the season, praising Salt’s aggression, his own 44-ball 63 and Tim David’s late assault that carried the visitors past 240.

With only three days between fixtures, the RCB medical staff will monitor Kohli’s ankle through Monday and Tuesday before a final call is made. The franchise can ill-afford to lose their most prolific run-scorer at a juncture where every result shapes the scramble for playoff berths. Lucknow, meanwhile, will await the official update as they plot to derail an RCB top order that finally clicked in unforgiving Mumbai humidity.