It was Virat Kohli who initiated the verbal duel by taking a dig at Travis Head’s recurring role as an Impact Player by making the hand gesture that the on-field Umpires make when a player gets subbed off
Updated: May 23, 2026 1:24 PM IST
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru might have got beaten by the Sunrisers Hyderabad by a margin of 55 runs but the bigger news that caught the eye was the tense moment between RCB’s former captain Virat Kohli and SRH’s Australian opening batter Travis Head. During the post-match handshakes at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Kohli appeared to be completely ignoring Head and that video has gone viral ever since.
The reason behind Virat Kohli’s anger, which led to this moment unfurl, is not because of the result but due to Travis Head’s sledging directed at Kohli during the initial overs of RCB’s unsuccessful chase of 256. It has become a massive talking point on social media with fans of both the players jumping in to defend one another.
What triggered Virat Kohli?
While nothing occurred between the two players when Hyderabad were smashing Bengaluru all over the park in the 1st innings, things started to get tense when RCB openers Virat Kohli and Venkatesh Iyer initiated the chase.
It was Virat Kohli who initiated the verbal duel by taking a dig at Travis Head’s recurring role as an Impact Player by making the hand gesture that the on-field Umpires make when a player gets subbed off.
Tensions rise in high voltage clash#TATAIPL Race to Playoffs 2026 #SRHvRCB | LIVE NOW ➡️https://t.co/52qPTW2gSO pic.twitter.com/JOiWaxNW6T
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) May 22, 2026
The hand gesture was actually a taunt to the Australian opener, who was then challenged by Kohli to remain on the field and bowl a few deliveries to him. It initially looked like banter but things got serious afterwards.
Kohli’s performance with the bat failed to back up his sledging as he was dismissed shortly after for just 15 off 11 by Sakib Hussain. As the former RCB captain walked off the field, Travis Head fired back with a lethal reply -“Mate, you are out before I can come to bowl” and that deeply triggered Virat Kohli.
Virat Kohli refused handshake with Travis Head, as both had some heat moments between the game. SRH vs RCB ☠️ #ViratKohli #RCB #IPL #SRHvsRCB pic.twitter.com/7j6kdaCyxB
— (@iiZub22) May 22, 2026
The supposed banter was not taken lightly by Virat Kohli who completely snubbed Travis Head’s extended hand during the customary handshake lineup. The video of this moment has gone viral on social media, sparking lots of reactions from fans of both teams.
Notably, the two teams can still meet each other in the playoffs or even in the final and so it will be interesting to see what happens when Virat Kohli and Travis Head meet again.
