'The GOAT' - Former Pakistan star lauds Virat Kohli after guiding RCB to IPL 2026 title

Former Pakistan player Azhar Mahmood took to social media to congratulate Virat Kohli and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for winning the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL). The Bengaluru-based side defeated the Gujarat Titans in the final to defend their title from last season.

Kohli was the star of the show during the showpiece final in Ahmedabad. The former India captain scored an unbeaten 75 from 42 balls to see his side through with two overs to spare. He hit nine fours and three sixes in his match-winning innings, including one to seal the victory at the end.

Mahmood was left extremely impressed by Kohli's contribution in the final and applauded the 37-year-old's ability to take his side to a win during a run chase. The former all-rounder also labelled the RCB star as the greatest of all-time. 

"Incredible star player always reliable & most likely to take you to the finish line. @imVkohli. the GOAT. Congratulations," Azhar Mahmood shared on X (formerly Twitter). 

It is worth mentioning that Mahmood is the only Pakistan player to compete in the IPL after the cricketers from that country were banned following the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai. The 51-year-old secured British citizenship following the end of his international career, which allowed him to be eligible to compete in the competition. He went on to play two seasons for the Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in 2012 and 2013, where he played 22 times to take 29 wickets and score 382 runs. 

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Kohli, on the other hand, once again ended an IPL season as RCB's leading run-scorer. The top-order batter hit 675 runs at an average of 56.25, whilst striking at 165.84. This was the right-hander's highest strike-rate in a single IPL season. He also surpassed 9,000 runs in the tournament, the first player in history to do so.