Watch: Venkatesh Iyer re-creates Thalapathy Vijay's iconic move after His 73* — and Virat Kohli's reaction said everything, PBKS vs RCB IPL 2026 in Dharamsala

The all-rounder of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Venkatesh Iyer, explodes the internet with his ‘Thalapathy Vijay’ celebration on scoring a fine half-century in 29 balls during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala. 

Iyer didn’t have a great previous edition of the tournament with just 142 runs in 11 games at an average of around 20 and one half-century to his name. However, this fifty would give him a lot of confidence heading into the playoffs.

Why Venkatesh Iyer choses Thalapathy Vijay’s signature move — and how Virat Kohli reacted 

Venkatesh Iyer walked into the middle at the halfway mark of the innings and smashed his first boundary of the innings against Yuzvendra Chahal into the cover region. He drilled Lockie Ferguson’s full delivery through mid-off for a boundary before cracking two consecutive fours against Harpreet Brar. 

Watch Iyer's Thalapathy Vijay celebration: 

The left-handed batter put Chahal into the stands twice in the 15th over of the innings. He picked the tossed-up delivery and cleared his front leg to hoist it over mid-wicket before hammering the third ball over long-on for the same result.

See Also: Why is Rajat Patidar not playing Today — PBKS vs RCB match 61 in IPL 2026

The Indian all-rounder backed away and manufactured enough power to clear the mid-off for a huge six to celebrate his 13th fifty of the IPL 2026 season. He displayed the famous Thalapathy Vijay celebration as Virat Kohli enjoyed the moment with a smile on his face while sitting in the dug-out. 

How this knock changes PBKS vs RCB — and what it means for RCB star

The southpaw continued the same brutal power with a boundary against Ferguson and ended the 17th over of the innings with a fine six into the long-on region. He remained unbeaten on 73 runs off 40 balls at a strike rate of 182.50, thanks to eight boundaries and four sixes.

Earlier, Kohli clubbed a dashing knock of 58 runs in 37 balls at a strike rate of 156.76, shouldering on four boundaries and three sixes. Tim David gave them the momentum with 28 runs off 12 balls.

See Also: Watch: Virat Kohli hails Bhuvneshwar Kumar's 'good enough lengths' as key to RCB's IPL 2026 success

RCB finished with 222 runs for the loss of four wickets in their allotted 20 overs. In reply, Punjab lost both their openers in the third over against Bhuvneshwar Kumar and lost the route of the chase.

Fan reaction — X (formerly Twitter) goes wild over Venkatesh Iyer’s viral celebration 

The Vijay and cricket fans on X (formerly known as Twitter) were stunned at the celebration of Iyer and went viral in their reaction to the move-

Follow the PBKS vs RCB match 61 live scoreboard:

RCB- 159/3 (Virat Kohli 58, Harpreet Brar 2/35) vs PBKS 42/3 (Cooper Connolly 20*, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2/8)