A video that has taken the internet by storm tells only half the story. While much of social media has focused on Virat Kohli snubbing Travis Head’s handshake after Sunrisers Hyderabad’s victory over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2026 on Friday, May 22, the full picture paints a very different narrative. Clips have emerged showing exactly what unfolded during the match, and they point to one undeniable truth: Travis Head started the banter and simply could not take it back.
How It All Began
The spark was lit during the very first over of RCB’s chase of 256 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. As Shivang Kumar conceded 14 runs in the opening over, Kohli was spotted gesturing toward Head, signalling the impact substitute gesture and pointing out that he used to be substituted out when SRH bowled. Head was seen nodding in response to Kohli’s comments, engaging willingly in the exchange.
However, what is conveniently being left out of the wider narrative is that Head had already initiated the poking well before any of this. When the ball hit Virat Kohli’s toe end, Head gestured to his SRH teammates. Then, when Kohli hit Pat Cummins for a four in the first over, Head was heard telling his teammates to bowl outside the off stump, a remark Kohli clearly did not appreciate. At delivery 2.2, Kohli hit another four and the banter truly ignited between the two.
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Head basically mocked Virat Kohli’s BGT performances as he was dismissed by Scott Boland and other Aussies in the same way.
The Moment Things Turned Personal
While it remained competitive banter up to that point, things took a sharper turn in the fourth over when Head passed a remark directed at Venkatesh Iyer. Venky chose to ignore it and kept his composure, but Kohli was visibly furious. After every boundary Iyer hit in that over, Kohli was repeatedly asking Head to come and bowl, a moment that was captured and posted by Star Sports, underlining just how charged the atmosphere had become.
Earlier in the first innings, Kohli had celebrated animatedly from his fielding position when Head was dismissed, visibly yelling with emotion as Rasikh Dar Salam cleaned Head up with a brilliant yorker.
This was the moment where virat was furious at Head.
Maybe that outside off edge comment of head got into kohli’s head and maybe kohli is still frustated as it was the only weakness that he failed to correct. pic.twitter.com/YncbkdIr3M
— aryan (@aryan_1825) May 22, 2026
The Handshake Snub
When Kohli got out for 15 off 11 deliveries, Head came out of nowhere and passed another comment. That moment, according to many observers, is precisely where Kohli drew the line. A user on X pointed it out plainly: Head started it.
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
After the match, as players from both sides gathered for customary handshakes, Kohli led RCB out of the dugout. He greeted Pat Cummins and Abhishek Sharma warmly before deliberately bypassing Head, moving straight on to shake hands with Ishan Kishan and the remaining SRH players. Head extended his hand and waited briefly, but Kohli simply walked past. The video went instantly viral across social media platforms.
Tensions rise in high voltage clas#TATAIPL Race to Playoffs 2026 #SRHvRCB | LIVE NOW https://t.co/52qPTW2gSO pic.twitter.com/JOiWaxNW6T
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) May 22, 2026
Match Result and Playoff Picture
On the field, SRH won the contest by 55 runs, restricting RCB to 200 while having posted 255/4 themselves. However, SRH needed a victory margin of 90 runs to leapfrog Gujarat Titans in the net run rate battle and push RCB below the top two. Despite the win, they could not achieve that target. As a result, RCB finish at the top of the points table with GT in second place. The two sides will now face each other in Qualifier 1 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on May 26.
