Furious Virat Kohli Throws His Helmet and Bat After Getting Out, Reportedly Struggled to Climb Wankhede Stairs Due to Injury

Despite surpassing the 50-run mark vs. MI, Virat Kohli opted for an unexpectedly subdued reaction, choosing to forego his usual celebration.

Furious Virat Kohli Throws His Helmet and Bat After Getting Out, Reportedly Struggled to Climb Wankhede Stairs Due to Injury

Virat Kohli struggled to get up the stairs after his dismissal against Mumbai Indians. (Image via BCCI/X)

In Short
  • Virat Kohli expressed frustration after his dismissal by throwing his helmet and bat during the IPL match against Mumbai Indians.
  • He struggled with fitness, reportedly having an ankle issue that limited his movement and kept him off the field in the second innings.
  • Kohli's actions may lead to a potential fine for violating the IPL Code of Conduct due to his reckless behavior on the field.

During Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s recent IPL 2026 clash against Mumbai Indians, Virat Kohli seemed to be struggling with his fitness. After getting out, the veteran Indian batter angrily threw his helmet and bat to the ground before slowly walking up the stairs.

It was not the best of outings for Kohli with the bat against MI. Despite scoring 50 runs off 38 balls with the help of five fours and a six, his knock came at a meager strike-rate of 131.58, while all the other RCB batters scored at a rate exceeding 200.

Phil Salt’s 78, Rajat Patidar’s 53 and Tim David’s brisk 34 helped the defending champions post a first innings total of 240/4, which was enough for them to win by 18 runs in the end. 

Coming back to Kohli’s innings, the former RCB captain struggled to find explosive power until his dismissal. In a video that has since gone viral, he was seen throwing his helmet and gloves towards the dugout on his way back, with visible agony on his face. Adding to his frustration was his poor decision-making, which resulted in RCB losing both its DRS reviews on unsuccessful wide calls.

Getting out to a low full-toss from Hardik Pandya in the 15th over, the 37-year-old seemed to feel that he let his team down by not finishing the innings on a high. The video also showed him struggling to climb the stairs leading to RCB’s dressing room at the Wankhede.

His restricted movement and absence from the field throughout the second innings confirmed the likelihood that Kohli had sustained an injury requiring medical attention.

The concerns were later addressed by RCB skipper Rajat Patidar, as he informed that the veteran batting icon did not take the field as he was managing a ‘niggle’. While Patidar expressed optimism, another viral video of Kohli seems to suggest that the niggle might be a serious injury. He was spotted gesturing to his wife Anushka Sharma, pointing to his left ankle to explain why he did not field at all.

Based on his actions of throwing his helmet and gloves, Virat Kohli is now potentially in violation of Article 2.2 of the IPL Code of Conduct. If the match referee determines that his behavior was ‘reckless’, the RCB star could face a fine ranging from 10 to 25 percent of his match fee.

Rohit Sharma also injured in thrilling RCB-MI clash, mirroring Virat Kohli’s situation

Like Virat Kohli, former Indian captain Rohit Sharma also sustained an injury during his side, MI’s IPL 2026 clash against RCB. While batting in the second innings chase, he appeared to pull his right hamstring and was subsequently forced to retire hurt.

Rohit Sharma retired out Virat Kohli
Like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma also sustained an injury during MI vs. RCB. (via News 18)

Coming out to open the batting with Ryan Rickelton, Sharma started to limp four balls into the 5th over of the chase. At the end of the over, the MI physio came out to check on him, and even helped him manage the hamstring injury by providing some on-field treatment. However, in just the second ball of the following over, it was clear that the former MI captain would not be able to bat anymore. 

Sharma was seen limping and in discomfort, and he decided to retire hurt. The 38-year-old did not return to bat later on, despite MI being reduced to 157/5 by the close of the 16th over. He had scored only 19 runs off 13 balls, including two fours and a six, at a strike-rate of 146.15. Unlike Kohli’s injury, that has been deemed minor, Sharma is set to undergo medical scans to determine the severity of his injury. 

This ultimately puts his availability for Mumbai Indians’ upcoming match against Punjab Kings in doubt. So far, Rohit Sharma has scored 137 runs in four innings in this season, at an average of 45.66 and a strike-rate of 165.06, with one 50+ score. 

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