Vihaan Malhotra (RCB): The Patiala Prodigy Who Scored a U19 World Cup Century and Is Joining Virat Kohli at RCB

At age nine, Vihaan Malhotra declared his ambition clearly: he wanted to be like Virat Kohli. A decade later, he is about to share a dressing room with his idol at Royal Challengers Bengaluru. That journey — from a child playing cricket in Patiala with stars in his eyes to a vice-captain of India’s Under-19 World Cup-winning team and a retained RCB signing — is one of the more beautiful stories in IPL 2026.

Born on 1 January 2007 in Patiala, Punjab, Vihaan is a 19-year-old batting all-rounder who bats left-handed (unusual in itself) but bowls right-arm off-spin. He has been trained by VVS Laxman’s academy, idolises both Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill, and — crucially — he has something that only the rarest teenagers possess: a genuine multi-format ambition that goes beyond chasing IPL contracts.

Early Life and Development in Patiala

Vihaan Malhotra comes from a family where both parents are professionals: his father Manoj is a Superintending Engineer, and his mother Poonam is a gynaecologist. His interest in cricket began as a child’s love rather than a parental push. At 10 years old, a remarkable catch during an inter-district game first caught the attention of serious observers.

He trained at the Cricket Hub Academy in Patiala under coach Kamalpreet Sandhu, who would become a central figure in his development. When Vihaan’s role changed — being asked to bat at No. 3 rather than as an opener due to the presence of Ayush Mhatre and Vaibhav Suryavanshi above him — it was Sandhu who helped him embrace the change. “He has opened all his life. Batting at No. 3 was an adjustment for him. I just gave him the reality check that Vaibhav and Ayush had earned it, and what had he done? He should make that No. 3 spot his own,” Sandhu told the Times of India. Vihaan adapted — and thrived.

Under-19 International Career

Vihaan rose through India’s age-group system at considerable pace. He played for Punjab Under-16 at 14, advancing through India A U19 and India U19 squads. His standout performance before the World Cup came on India’s U19 tour of England, where he finished as the third-leading run-scorer in ODIs: 243 runs in five matches at an average of 48.60 and a strike rate of 99.

He was named vice-captain for the India U19 squad for the 2026 Under-19 World Cup in Zimbabwe and Namibia, playing under Ayush Mhatre’s captaincy. India won the tournament, extending their record as the most successful team in U19 World Cup history. Vihaan contributed with the bat — scoring an unbeaten 109 against Zimbabwe — and memorably took four wickets against Bangladesh with his off-spin in a crucial match when the game was slipping away. His Player of the Match performance in that game earned widespread praise.

The IPL 2026 Auction

Royal Challengers Bengaluru picked Vihaan at his base price of ₹30 lakh — a low-risk, high-potential signing that aligns perfectly with RCB’s stated strategy of building a youth-forward squad around their retained core of Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, and Yash Dayal.

For Vihaan, the signing was deeply personal. He grew up watching Kohli dominate international cricket and declared from an early age that RCB was his team. Learning about the signing while at the U19 Asia Cup in Dubai, the Malhotra family video call was described by those present as an extraordinarily emotional moment.

Playing Style

• Left-handed batter: Technically sound, with a style that draws comparisons to Shubman Gill — building innings smartly before accelerating
• Right-arm off-spin: Genuinely effective — four wickets in a World Cup match is not a fluke
• Multi-format ambition: Unusually for a teenager in the IPL era, Vihaan has explicitly stated his desire to succeed in all three formats and earn a national call-up through consistency rather than one-off IPL fireworks

Career Statistics at a Glance

What to Expect in IPL 2026

For now, Vihaan Malhotra’s IPL role at RCB is that of a development player — soaking in the environment, training alongside Kohli, learning the tactical side of T20 cricket, and waiting for his opportunity. But given his ability with both bat and ball, and given RCB’s history of fast-tracking talented youngsters, it would be no surprise to see him feature at some point in the season.

The long game for RCB here is a player who, in three to five years, could be one of India’s best batting all-rounders across formats. That is a bold bet — but with Vihaan’s track record, not an unreasonable one.

Further Reading

• Ayush Mhatre: Vihaan’s U19 Captain Who Is Now at CSK
• Sahil Parakh: Another U19-Grade Talent in His Debut IPL Year
• IPL 2026 Debutants: Complete Guide

Sources: India TV News | Sportskeeda | Observer Voice | myKhel