Virat Kohli appeared to refuse a post-match handshake with Travis Head following a heated on-field exchange during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL 2026 clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday.
The incident took place during RCB’s chase of 256, when Kohli and Head were involved in a verbal exchange in the middle. According to reports, Kohli told Head, “Okay come down and bowl some deliveries,” before the Australian responded after Kohli’s dismissal saying, “Mate, you got out before I even came on to bowl.”
Following the match, videos showed Head extending his hand during the customary post-match greetings, but Kohli appeared to walk past without acknowledging him, while greeting several other SRH players including captain Pat Cummins.
The moment quickly went viral on social media, triggering debate among fans over sportsmanship and on-field aggression.
Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan also weighed in on the incident, saying the post-match moment could have been avoided despite aggressive exchanges being part of the game.
RCB lost the match by 55 runs but still finished top of the IPL 2026 points table, securing a Qualifier 1 clash against Gujarat Titans. (Newswire)