Opinions, analysis and commentary
Sanjay Manjrekar’s takes on Kohli are reliably divisive, but this one is harder to argue with than most. Kohli has moved from a 115-120 strike rate anchor to a batter operating above 160 across multiple innings this season, and the explanation isn’t technical. He didn’t rebuild his game. He didn’t find new shots. What changed is the decision he makes in the first three deliveries of every innings, and what produced that decision is a story about criticism absorbed, team dynamics shifted, and a batter who finally had the structural freedom to act on what he already knew.
For most of his T20 career, Kohli’s greatest strength and his most persistent criticism came from the same place. He absorbed early pressure, converted starts into long innings, and gave every middle-order batter below him a platform others built careers around batting from. That approach won Royal Challengers Bengaluru matches consistently enough to make the case for itself.
It also produced a strike rate that analysts highlighted as evidence of a batter refusing to adapt. The criticism wasn’t entirely fair. The anchor role wasn’t purely personal preference. It reflected a genuine structural need inside a team that regularly required him to still be batting in the 15th over because the alternatives were considerably worse. That constraint shaped his numbers for years before the release valve arrived.
The most visible evidence of Kohli’s shift isn’t the seasonal aggregate. It’s what happens inside the first six overs now compared to three seasons ago.
Previously, his power play approach prioritised survival. He identified his scoring areas early, waited for the ball to arrive in them, and left field restrictions partially unexploited on deliveries a more aggressive batter would attack. The scoring burden fell on whoever batted alongside him. If that batter couldn’t carry it, the power play became a missed opportunity rather than a foundation.
Numbers across three seasons make the argument without any assistance. A strike rate between 115 and 120 across several IPL campaigns wasn’t a temporary dip or a surface-specific limitation. It was consistent output from a consistent method. The improvement in 2023 marked the first measurable adjustment. The 2024 season confirmed it wasn’t a purple patch, with his strike rate crossing 150 and staying there across enough innings to register as method rather than mood.
| Season | Approximate Strike Rate |
| Earlier IPL seasons | 115–120 |
| IPL 2023 | Improvement begins |
| IPL 2024 | Above 150 |
| Current season | Above 160 in multiple matches |
The structural change inside RCB’s batting order matters more to this transformation than most external commentary acknowledges. Kohli’s conservation instinct in earlier seasons reflected a real team’s needs. When the middle order couldn’t be trusted to rebuild after early wickets, he stayed deep into his innings because the alternative was collapse. That responsibility compressed his scoring window without him needing to make a conscious choice about it.
IPL 2026 changed the environment around him. Stronger and more reliable contributions through the middle overs removed the rescue responsibility that had quietly anchored his approach for years.
Manjrekar’s analysis identifies something the strike rate charts confirm but can’t explain on their own. The technical output is visible and measurable. What drove it isn’t recorded in any scorecard.
His argument is that criticism internalised produced recalibration, not coaching delivered over a net session. Kohli didn’t develop new shots or change his action. His grip, stance, and trigger movement are unchanged. What shifted was the decision made in the first three balls of each innings about what kind of innings this is going to be. Fans who disagree with Manjrekar’s conclusion owe a credible alternative answer to one straightforward question: what else changed between the batter who produced 115 strike rates and the one now consistently above 160?
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Q: What is Virat Kohli’s strike rate this IPL season?
He has crossed 160 in several matches this season, continuing a three-season upward trend from his earlier anchor approach.
Q: What did Sanjay Manjrekar say about Kohli’s batting change?
He argued the improvement was driven by mental recalibration under sustained criticism rather than any technical adjustment to his game.
Q: Why did Kohli’s powerplay approach change in recent IPL seasons?
He shifted from survival mode to calculated aggression earlier in his innings.
Q: How has RCB’s batting balance helped Kohli score faster?
Stronger middle-order contributions freed him from the conservative role that previously held his strike rate back across multiple seasons.
Q: Where can I watch the IPL 2026 live stream in the USA and UK?
The Sports Live Hub (SLH) provides global streaming links. In the UK, fans can watch via Sky Sports, and in the USA, matches are available on Willow TV and the SLH digital portal.
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