As they prepare for their IPL championship defence, star batsman Virat Kohli advised his Royal Challengers Bengaluru teammates on Saturday to "switch on" themselves and not squander a single minute at the training sessions.

During the team's first practice at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Kohli emphasised the importance of keeping up the level of energy that won them the championship the previous year.

"We worked really hard over the last two to three seasons to achieve what we did last year, and it's only going to get tougher because other teams are going to come hard at us," Kohli said.

"We don't waste these days. We stay ahead. So, switch on now. Let's not waste even a minute of any session that we are a part of. We must give our 120 per cent for these two and a half months." Kohli added.

Andy Flower happy with the RCB squad

Andy Flower, the head coach, was pleased with the team put together following the auction, stating that the team had improved in important areas.

"We had an interesting auction and I think we've improved our squad, to be quite frank. We've brought in some great new additions. Integrating them into the RCB way alongside established players led by Virat and Rajat is an exciting part of building this team," Flower said.

Flower emphasised the importance of being the current champions and stated that the team would welcome the challenge rather than focus on previous achievements.

"There is one difference this year, we've got a star on our shirt. That's a very proud feeling for all RCB fans. But that season is gone. Now we have a new challenge ahead, and it's an exciting one. We're here to win this year's IPL," he added.

Flower also pointed to the advantage of beginning their campaign at home.

"Our first game is here at Chinnaswamy, which is a fantastic opportunity for us to build momentum early and be welcomed by our home fans. The outfield is looking superb, lush, green and beautiful," he said. 

RCB will open their IPL 2026 campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 28 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. RCB added Venkatesh Iyer, Mangesh Yadav, Jordan Cox, Vicky Ostwal and Satvik Deswal to their squad at the auction.