Why is Virat Kohli Not fielding Against LSG?

The 23rd match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is being played between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at one of the smallest cricket stadiums in India, M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. The home team, RCB, is coming after a comfortable win over Mumbai Indians in the last match, which showed their recent dominant form.

However, the match saw Virat Kohli injury in IPL 2026, where he was limping and there was an ankle injury scare. There was a doubt among the cricket fans and management whether Kohli will play or not against LSG. However, RCB won the toss and chose to bowl and announced Virat Kohli impact player for the game, creating curiosity why Virat Kohli not fielding in this match.

Why is Virat Kohli Not fielding in RCB vs LSG?

Virat Kohli, one of the best batsman in IPL, is seen missing from fielding in the RCB vs LSG. It is mainly due to his injury scare in the last match along with his fever. The injury was monitored by the team physio and was struggling to walk properly following the match while he was having a viral fever.

However, Kohli is known for putting all his effort for the team and has prioritize playing this game against LSG, but keeping in mind about last match injury and amount of fatigue that can get during fielding, he will be playing as an impact player in this match, who will be seen opening the batting for RCB. Here is the video of Virat limping while practising:

When Was Last Time Virat Kohli Missed an IPL Match Due to Injury?

Virat Kohli is regarded as the fittest cricketers in the world, who has increased the standards of fitness over the years in the Indian Cricket. He has been part of almost every match in the IPL and has hardly missed one due to an injury, which shows his level of fitness. The last time when Kohli's name was excluded from the Playing 11 was back in 2017. He was ruled out for the first few weeks of the season after sustaining a shoulder injury in a test match against Australia at home. However, Kohli has been names as impact player which creates possibility that he will be part of the game in the second innings and will not be missing the game practically.