Virat Kohli names toughest bowler ever faced, RCB star says ‘every ball is like a mind game’

Virat Kohli has picked national teammate Jasprit Bumrah as the toughest bowler he has ever faced in his career. The 31-year-old India pacer has been a thorn in the neck for the opposition batters, and Virat Kohli was no exception. In fact, every ball from Jasprit Bumrah feels like a mind game for the former India captain.

Virat Kohli first faced Jasprit Bumrah at the top level during the 2013 edition of the Indian Premier League. In fact, Virat Kohli was Jasprit Bumrah's first-ever IPL wicket when Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) hosted Mumbai Indians in 2013.

“No doubt about the fact that Jasprit (Bumrah) is the best bowler in the world, all the formats. He's gotten me out a few times in the IPL,” Virat Kohli said at RCB Innovation Lab Indian Sports Summit event recently.

While Virat Kohli doesn't face Jasprit Bumrah much at India nets, their real duel comes to the fore in the IPL when RCB play Mumbai Indians and vice versa. “So whenever I say things, like, okay, it's going to be fun.

“Because we don't get to do that in the nets. Even in the nets, it's like playing a match. The intensity is like we play a match in the IPL. We're always like, every ball is like a mind game,” added Virat Kohli.

Virat Kohli vs Jasprit Bumrah stats in IPL

In IPL, Virat Kohli faced Jasprit Bumrah 16 times. While the RCB batter was able to score 140 runs at a strike rate of 147.36 against the world's best bowler, Jasprit Bumrah dismissed the batting maestro five times.

Jasprit Bumrah's injury status

Having missed the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 due to a back injury, Mumbai Indians are likely to miss Jasprit Bumrah for the initial few matches. According to a Espncricinfo report, Jasprit Bumrah is expected to join the five-time champions by early April, subject to clearance from the medical team at BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.

What happened to Jasprit Bumrah?

The Indian pacer suffered a stress-related injury in his back during the fifth Test match against Australia in Sydney. He was advised five weeks of rest initially before being ruled out of the Champions Trophy 2025. Earlier, Jasprit Bumrah had underwent a back surgery in March 2023.