Watch: Kohli’s playful beard gesture to Gill goes viral before Qualifier 1

NEW DELHI: A light-hearted infinitesimal betwixt Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill up of IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 has taken societal media by storm, adding other buzz to the blockbuster clash betwixt Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans successful Dharamsala.The 2 batting stars were seen greeting each different warmly during a pre-match enactment astatine the picturesque HPCA Stadium, wherever the apical 2 sides of the play volition conflict for a nonstop spot successful the last connected Tuesday.

In the viral clip, Kohli and Gill broke into smiles the infinitesimal they spotted each different earlier sharing a handshake and a lukewarm hug. But what genuinely grabbed fans’ attraction was Kohli’s playful antics aft the embrace.The erstwhile RCB skipper was seen touching Gill’s feature and seemingly teasing him astir his beard, leaving players and enactment unit adjacent smiling. The candid infinitesimal rapidly dispersed crossed societal media, with fans calling it 1 of the astir wholesome visuals of the season.WATCH:

Kohli vs Gill adds other spice to Qualifier 1

The viral enactment comes up of 1 of the biggest matches of IPL 2026, with some RCB and GT entering the playoffs arsenic the 2 standout teams of the league stage.

Both sides finished with 18 points from 14 matches, though RCB topped the array owed to a superior nett tally complaint nether skipper Rajat Patidar.RCB’s rubric defence has been powered by explosive batting and a acold much balanced bowling onslaught than successful erstwhile years. Kohli’s consistency astatine the top, combined with the gait menace of Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, has helped the defending champions repeatedly predominate high-scoring contests.GT, meanwhile, person emerged arsenic arguably the astir implicit bowling portion of the tournament.Gill has led calmly from the front, portion Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler person formed 1 of the astir unsafe apical orders this season.Their bowling attack, featuring Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna and Rashid Khan, has consistently strangled opponents during the 2nd fractional of the tournament.GT caput into the knockout clash with momentum firmly connected their broadside aft hammering Chennai Super Kings by 89 runs successful their last league game.But earlier the high-pressure conflict begins, it was Kohli’s playful infinitesimal with Gill that gave fans a uncommon relaxed glimpse of 2 generations of Indian batting stars sharing a laugh.