IPL 2026: ‘He’s the best chaser to have ever played the game’ – Dale Steyn hails Virat Kohli’s modern batting genius

Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pacer Dale Steyn praised Virat Kohli for his match-winning knock against Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

The right-hander smashed 81 off 44 balls at a strike rate of 184.09 and reclaimed the Orange Cap, taking his tally to 328 runs from seven innings this season. The defending champions were given 206 as the target.

“He’s always looking to try and get better. He’s what we talk about. He plays what’s in front of him. He reads the situation. Probably one of the best players that I’ve ever known that reads the situation and calculates how the game needs to be panned out from the first ball that he’s faced. He’s kind of worked out a road to get to the final runs. He’s the best chaser to have ever played the game,” said Kohli on ESPNcricinfo.

At the RCB’s home ground, known for high-scoring matches, Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal powered a dominant second-wicket stand of 115 off 59 balls against GT in the IPL 2026. Padikkal struck a fluent 55 off 27 balls, while Kohli added 59 off 32, continuing his strong T20 form.

Kohli’s strike rate evolution has been notable, crossing 140 in the 2010s but becoming far more explosive in recent years, with 154.70 in 2024, 144.71 in 2025, and 163.18 in the current season. His 2016 campaign remains historic, where he scored 973 runs, the highest ever in a single IPL season. Since then, he has consistently delivered, rarely dipping below 400 runs in a season except in 2017 and 2022, with recent tallies of 639, 741, and 657 runs in the last three seasons.

“I love Kohli the batter. But the evolution of those numbers for a guy who is in his mid-30s [37] now, [that he] continues to evolve in a game that has gone high-tempo and high-gear is to me extraordinary, that he’s been able to do this and find a role for himself in such a position,” said Ian Bishop.

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