When Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bengaluru lined up for post-match handshakes after SRH’s 55-run win, Virat Kohli deliberately skipped Travis Head, leaving the Australian opener’s hand extended with no one to shake it.
Kohli shook hands with SRH captain Pat Cummins and Abhishek Sharma but moved past Head without acknowledgment. The moment was caught clearly on camera and has since drawn significant attention across cricket circles.
What Happened Between Kohli and Head During the Match
The tension between the two did not appear from nowhere. During RCB’s chase, Kohli and Head were visibly exchanging words on the field. What exactly was said between them has not been confirmed by either player or their respective teams. The exchange, however, was enough to set the tone for what followed at the end of the game.
Kohli himself had a quiet evening with the bat. He scored just 15 runs before falling to Sakib Hussain, which may have added to the frustration of an already tense night for the RCB star.
SRH Dominated With Bat as RCB Fell Short
On the field, SRH were thoroughly dominant. Half-centuries from Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen and Ishan Kishan powered SRH to a total of 255 for 4 in 20 overs.
Kishan scored 79 off 46 balls, registering his sixth fifty-plus score of the season, making IPL 2026 his most prolific as a batter. Klaasen was equally destructive. He became the first player to cross 600 runs while batting at No. 4 or lower in a T20 tournament.
In reply, RCB never truly threatened the target. Venkatesh Iyer’s quick-fire 44 steadied RCB’s start, but once he fell, the chase lost momentum. Rajat Patidar’s 56 and Krunal Pandya’s unbeaten 41 helped RCB finish on 200 for 4, well short of what was required.
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RCB Still Qualify as Top Team Despite the Loss
The result mattered more for the standings than the scoreline suggested. RCB needed at least 166 to secure a top-two finish and at least 178 to top the table. They prioritised that over the two points and finished on 200 for 4. The strategy worked.
Despite losing by 55 runs, RCB finished first in the IPL 2026 standings. All three top teams — RCB, Gujarat Titans and SRH — ended the league stage on 18 points, with net run rate separating them. RCB’s superior NRR of +0.783 kept them at the top.
RCB will now face Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 in Dharamsala on May 26. SRH finished third and will play the Eliminator in New Chandigarh on May 27.
The handshake incident will likely continue drawing attention in the build-up to the playoffs. Neither Kohli nor Head has publicly addressed what was said on the field or why the customary post-match courtesy was skipped. For now, the visuals speak for themselves.
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