Virat Kohli refused to shake hands with Travis Head after the IPL 2026 clash between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Friday (May 22).

The duo was also involved in a heated exchange during the run chase, when Head made a passing remark toward Kohli that irked the RCB stalwart.

In response, Kohli fired back, "Okay come down and bowl some deliveries," challenging the SRH opener to back up his words.

Kohli managed only 15 runs off 11 balls before being removed by Sakib Hussain on the fifth delivery of the sixth over.

As Virat Kohli was walking away after his dismissal, Head approached him and said: "Mate, you got out before I even came on to bowl," which appeared to leave the ace batter highly frustrated.

Following SRH’s 55-run victory, the players lined up for the customary post-match handshakes. When Head extended his hand, Kohli completely bypassed him without making eye contact.

Head looked back in surprise as Kohli continued down the line to shake hands with other SRH players, including captain Pat Cummins.

Here’s the video:

Coming to the match, RCB suffered a 55-run defeat as their bowling attack struggled to contain SRH’s explosive batting unit.

Ishan Kishan (79 off 46), Abhishek Sharma (56 off 22) and Heinrich Klaasen (51 off 24) all struck fluent half-centuries, propelling the hosts to a mammoth 255/4 in 20 overs.

The defending champions needed to score just 166 to ensure a top two finish, and managed to do so thanks to Rajat Patidar’s 39-ball 56, and crucial contributions from Venkatesh Iyer (44 off 19) and Krunal Pandya (41* off 31).

This result means that RCB will face second-placed Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1, while SRH await the confirmation of their opponent in the Eliminator.