Virat Kohli chose not to shake hands with Travis Head when the teams came together at the end of the match between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in IPL 2026 in Hyderabad on Friday.

As the teams lined up for the customary post-match handshakes, Kohli shook hands with SRH captain Pat Cummins and Abhishek Sharma but ignored Head, who had his arm outstretched to greet Kohli, before moving on to the next player in line.

During RCB’s chase, Kohli was seen having words with Head. It was not clear, though, what led to the exchanges.

After SRH posted 255 for 4, RCB needed at least 166 to secure a top-two finish in the league stage, and at least 178 to top the table. They prioritised that over two points and finished on 200 for 4. Opening the innings, Kohli made 15 off 11 balls before falling to Sakib Hussain in the last over of the powerplay.

RCB will now face Gujarat Titans (GT), who finished second on the league table, in Qualifier 1 in Dharamsala on May 26. SRH finished third and will play the Eliminator in New Chandigarh on May 27. The fourth playoffs spot is yet to be decided, with Rajasthan Royals (RR), Punjab Kings (PBKS), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Delhi Capitals (DC) all in the fray with three games left in the league.