IPL 2026: Virat Kohli Reveals Robot Dog Champak’s Hilarious Moment Involving Kane Williamson

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) icon Virat Kohli has launched a fierce critique against the Indian Premier League’s hyper-aggressive, “content-first” digital ecosystem.

Speaking candidly on the latest episode of the RCB Podcast hosted by Mayanti Langer, the former Indian captain expressed deep frustration over the constant surveillance faced by cricketers behind the scenes. Kohli pointed out that franchise media crews and broadcast units are increasingly overstepping boundaries, transforming every minor off-field interaction, net session, and personal moment into viral social media bait, which severely disrupts a player’s psychological preparation.

Why Is This Thing Waving at Me?

To illustrate his point, Kohli shared a highly amusing yet telling incident that occurred during a recent match against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). While trying to have a serious, personal conversation with his long-time friend and current LSG mentor/advisor Kane Williamson, their chat was abruptly interrupted by “Champak” the AI-powered robotic camera dog introduced by broadcasters.

“I was talking to Kane the other day, and there’s that robot thing just waving at me. And I am like, ‘Why is this thing waving at me?'” Kohli recalled. “I’m talking to Kane about something so serious. First I ignored the dog, and then I told the man controlling it, ‘Please take him away. Let me talk in peace.’ Kane’s my friend. I can’t have a conversation with him without it being filmed, without it becoming a moment of ‘Kane mama and Virat Kohli meeting.’ I need space to talk to him freely.”

A Call for Streamlining

The batting maestro emphasized that being pursued by half a dozen lenses the moment an athlete steps onto the field is an incredibly uncomfortable feeling that strips away organic preparation. Kohli argued that constant scrutiny during practice forces players to restrict what they experiment with in the nets out of fear that their trial sessions will be publicly dissected online the next morning.

While acknowledging the commercial and fan engagement value that digital content brings to the multi-billion-dollar league, Kohli made an urgent appeal to IPL administrators and franchise digital wings to streamline their coverage, establish strict boundary protocols, and heavily factor in the psychological comfort and consent of the players moving forward.