Virat Kohli ruled out of ODI series against Afghanistan:Struggles in IPL final turned out to be hamstring injury for the RCB star

The ODI fans’ expectations have taken a massive hit as Virat Kohli has been ruled out of the one-day series against Afghanistan due to a hamstring injury. The former India captain had an iconic season with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, scoring more than 600 runs, and taking his team to successive IPL titles. He was in red-hot form till the finals, considering the level of fitness and consistency that he maintains. However, while playing the IPL 2026 final against the Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad, the RCB star seemed uncomfortable as he took multiple physical treatments on the field before completing the chase for his team. Turns out it was a hamstring issue that has hampered his expectation to play one-day cricket as per PTI’s BCCI source. Virat steered RCB to comfortable win in final but took a toll on the way Virat Kohli was superb in the IPL final after a blistering 62-run partnership with Venkatesh Iyer in a 156-run chase. However, when Rashid Khan brought GT back into the game, he changed gears and held one end strongly, smashing a 25-ball fifty, the fastest in his IPL career. Then, Kohli and Tim David added 41 runs, which brought RCB on the brink of victory. In the end, it was Kohli (75* off 42) who hit the winning six to take RCB to a second consecutive IPL title. But on his way to claim the second IPL title, he developed a hamstring injury for which he received treatment on the ground and was even seen limping at the end. However, there was no official update about it. India-Afghanistan ODI series might lose its glamour in Kohli’s absence Virat Kohli’s absence from the ODIs against Afghanistan will take away all the sheen from the three-match one-day series. Former India captain was a sure shot to play in the series, backed by his red-hot form in IPL. However, with Rohit Sharma’s availability subject to fitness clearance from CoE (Centre of Excellence), Kohli not playing the ODI series will omit the crowd-pulling factor from the series.