Assistant Coach, Kolkata Knight Riders Shane Watson Admits his team wants to make mistakes early Virat Kohli KKR take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in a crucial IPL 2026 match on Wednesday.Kohli Once again one of RCB’s standout performers this season, scoring 379 runs in 11 games at an average of 42.11 and a strike rate of 163.36. However, the veteran batsman comes into the match after suffering defeats in back-to-back matches against Lucknow Supergiants and Mumbai Indians.
Despite these defeats, 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 scored three half-centuries in the last four games against Kolkata and remains one of the biggest hurdles in KKR’s path.“Every team will always have a plan against Virat and you would think Virat has a weakness, but we all know that with the help of King Kohli, he knows exactly how to try and navigate that better,” Watson said at the pre-match press conference.Watson referred to Kohli’s dismissal against Mumbai Indians when the batsman charged Deepak Chahal early in the game and bowled a lob over mid-on.“Yes, we just hope he tries to bat like he did in the last game and bowl more aggressively at the beginning of the innings. We pray that might happen. Knowing Virat, the chances of that happening are slim,” he added with a smile.The former Australia all-rounder then heaped praises on Kohli’s relentless hunger and intensity.“But look, he’s a different guy. He’s always been…his insatiable appetite to be the very, very, best player he can be and put every ball into the game and that continues to shine so brightly for him.” So we knew we had to attack with Virat from the first ball. Other than that, he just set up a platform for his team, a fast platform, and it worked really well, and he’s been doing that for years. So we’re praying we can get off to a good start and hope he makes a rare mistake and gets us into the game a little bit,” Watson said.The upcoming match holds huge significance for KKR’s playoff hopes. Kolkata currently have 9 points from 10 games and cannot afford any more mistakes in the hotly contested table.Interestingly, KKR have now pulled off a stunning turnaround after a disastrous start to the campaign. The team failed to register a win in its first six games but has since bounced back with four consecutive wins to keep promotion hopes alive against RCB.
