![Virat Kohli, Pat Cummins and Travis Head [Source: AFP]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1779514367453_ViratKohliPatCumminsandTravisHead.jpg?type=hq)
Virat Kohli, Pat Cummins and Travis Head [Source: AFP]
The RCB vs SRH clash on May 22, despite being a virtual dead rubber, became one of the most talked-about matches of the IPL 2026.
The primary reason was the beef between Virat Kohli and Travis Head, both players representing opposite camps of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and the Sunrisers Hyderabad, respectively.
The controversy emerged after Travis Head started sledging Virat Kohli on the crease with awful remarks, as caught on the stump mic. Kohli, though non-reactive at that point, played some furious shots to reply to Head's remarks.
The Travis Head-Virat Kohli Beef In IPL 2026
Later, after the match, when RCB was defeated by the home team, Kohli was seen deliberately avoiding a handshake with Head during the customary post-match greeting.
That heightened tensions between the two camps as the internet swelled with speculation about the storm Kohli cooked against Head.
Also Read- Travis Head Responds With 'Four-Word' Message After Direct Clash With Virat Kohli
However, not many might know that Kohli and Head once plotted against Pat Cummins to dismiss him in an IPL match.
When Kohli And Head Joined Hands Together
During the 56th match of IPL 2017 between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Daredevils, Head and Kohli represented the same team, that is RCB.
In the match, RCB batted first at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium where Virat Kohli, the then skipper of the team, had the highest score of 58 runs from his bat, with Chris Gayle turning up a 38-ball 48 to help the team reach a total of 161 at the end of 20 overs.
Travis Head, with the bat, couldn't impress and was run out early with only two runs under his belt. However, it was during the defence when Kohli and Head together dismissed a much younger Pat Cummins for Delhi Daredevils.
Cummins’ Early Promise Gone Down The Drain
Interestingly, Cummins had taken two wickets for DD before coming into bat to chase the decent total on board. For Delhi, Sanju Samson and Karun Nair opened, with Samson out for a duck.
Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant too, though resilient, weren't able to go deep into the game. After the tumbling of some early wickets, when Delhi was struggling at 87 for 4, Pat Cummins came out to bat at No. 7 and showed early promise.
Cummins, facing his Australia teammate Head, faced the first ball to tap it to deep mid-wicket and go for a single. After Pant exchanged another run with Cummins, the current Australian skipper attempted a full swing of the bat to deposit Travis Head's delivery over the mid-wicket boundary for a six.
The shot reignited hope among Delhi fans. However, in the very next ball, the duo of Kohli and Head brought down agony on Cummins.
When Cummins Fell Prey To Travis And Kohli’s Ploy
The last ball of the 16th over saw Head bowl a full and wide outside off-stump delivery. Cummins wanted to hammer the ball over extra cover. However, the ball nicked the toe-end of the bat as it sliced straight to long-off, where Kohli was stationed.
Taking a comfortable catch, Kohli and Head sent back Pat Cummins to the pavilion while rejoicing in celebration together.
Fast forward nine years, and the same Travis Head and the same Virat Kohli are now at loggerheads, with sportsmanship coming into question as both athletes are currently at the latter end of their cricketing careers.
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