IPL 2026: ‘It might happen’- Shane Watson opens up on KKR’s plan to stop Virat Kohli
Kolkata Knight Riders assistant coach Shane Watson hopes Virat Kohli makes an early aggressive mistake against them in their crucial IPL 2026 clash. Despite Kohli's strong season, he's had back-to-back ducks, a rare dip KKR aims to exploit. Watson acknowledged Kohli's brilliance but expressed a wish for a rare misstep to gain an advantage.
Kolkata Knight Riders assistant coach Shane Watson admitted his side are hoping for an early mistake from Virat Kohli when KKR face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a crucial IPL 2026 clash on Wednesday. Kohli has once again been among RCB’s standout performers this season, scoring 379 runs in 11 matches at an average of 42. 11 and a strike rate of 163.
36. However, the veteran batter enters the contest after suffering back-to-back ducks against Lucknow Super Giants and Mumbai Indians. Despite those failures, Watson made it clear that KKR are fully aware of the threat Kohli poses, especially given his recent record against them.
The RCB star has struck three half-centuries in his last four games against Kolkata and remains one of the biggest obstacles in KKR’s path. “Every team is always going to have plans against Virat where you perceive there’s a weakness to be, but we all know, with King Kohli, he knows exactly how to better try and navigate that as well as possible," Watson said during the pre-match press conference. Watson referred to Kohli’s dismissal against Mumbai Indians, where the batter charged at Deepak Chahar early in his innings and mistimed a lofted shot to mid-off.
“Yeah, we just hope that he tries to play a shot like he did in the last game, a more aggressive shot right at the start of his innings. We’ve got our fingers crossed that it might happen. Chances of that happening are remote, knowing Virat," he added with a smile.