NEW DELHI: Despite Virat Kohli's exceptional unbeaten innings of 83, Royal Challengers Bengaluru suffered a defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League match on Friday.
Continuing his impressive form, Virat played a pivotal role with a 59-ball knock, guiding RCB to a total of 182 for 6 on a pitch that offered varying conditions but eased up for batting as the game progressed.
KKR's Sunil Narine, in his 500th Twenty20 appearance, alongside Phil Salt, provided a blazing start, amassing 85 runs within the powerplay.
With KKR comfortably chasing down the target with 3.1 overs to spare, they secured a convincing victory.
After RCB's defeat, former India cricketer Aakash Chopra took a dig at Virat Kohli and his strike rate.
1/10:Most Man of the Match awards won in IPL history
Agencies
2/10:10. Kieron Pollard
<p>Tenth on the list is Kieron Pollard, with 14 Man of the Match awards in 189 matches.</p>Agencies
3/10:9. Ravindra Jadeja
<p>Ninth on the list is Ravindra Jadeja, with 14 Man of the Match awards in 228 matches.<br /></p>Agencies
4/10:8. Shane Watson
<p>Eighth on the list is Shane Watson, with 16 Man of the Match awards in 145 matches.<br /></p>Agencies
5/10:7. Yusuf Pathan
<p>Seventh on the list is Yusuf Pathan, with 16 Man of the Match awards in 174 matches.<br /></p>Agencies
6/10:6. Virat Kohli
<p>Sixth on the list is Virat Kohli, boasting 17 Man of the Match awards in 240 matches.<br /></p>PTI
7/10:5. MS Dhoni
<p>Fifth on the list is CSK's MS Dhoni, with 17 Man of the Match awards in 252 matches.<br /></p>AFP
8/10:4. David Warner
<p>Fourth on the list is David Warner, with 18 Man of the Match awards in 178 matches.<br /></p>Agencies
9/10:3. Rohit Sharma
<p>Ranked third is Rohit Sharma, the five-time IPL-winning captain, with 19 Man of the Match awards in 245 matches.<br /></p>ANI
10/10:2. Chris Gayle
<p>Second on the list is Chris Gayle, with 22 Man of the Match awards in 142 matches.<br /></p>AgenciesSpeaking on his YouTube channel, Aakash explained how Narine and Salt's dominance in Powerplay overshadowed Virat's stellar knock.
"When Sunil Narine opens, the template is absolutely clear - 'Either I or you will not remain'. He plays in that fashion, tries to hit sixes. Everyone knows that you need to repeatedly bowl bouncers and yorkers, but if you don't get success in that, just like Bengaluru didn't get in the first six overs, he takes the match far away from your grasp," Chopra said.
"Phil Salt was also there with him. Phil Salt hit 18 runs in the first over itself. He was brilliant. Just to put things in context, the opposing team bowled well but Kohli played 59 balls to reach 83 and Kolkata had already scored 85 in 5.5 overs. Whether it was Alzarri Joseph, Mohammed Siraj, or Yash Dayal, everyone was hit a lot," he said.
1/10:IPL 2024: Kolkata Knight Riders cruise to victory over Royal Challengers Bengaluru
AP
2/10:Virat Kohli
<p>Virat Kohli's consecutive IPL half-century wasn't enough for Royal Challengers Bangalore as Kolkata Knight Riders secured a comfortable seven-wicket victory.<br /></p>PTI
3/10:Shreyas Iyer
<p>Kolkata chased down the home side's 182-6 with 19 balls to spare, as skipper Shreyas Iyer sealed the win with a calm six off Mayank Dagar.<br /></p>PTI
4/10:Phil Salt and Sunil Narine
<p>KKR's chase began strongly with Phil Salt (30) and all-rounder Sunil Narine (47) sharing an 86-run partnership for the visitors.<br /><br /><br /></p>AP
5/10:Sunil Narine
<p>Narine smashed five sixes in his 22-ball innings before Dagar dismissed him in the seventh over. Salt was caught at deep square leg in the next over.<br /></p>PTI
6/10:Venkatesh Iyer
<p>Venkatesh Iyer's 50 maintained the momentum until he was caught by Kohli, while Shreyas finished the innings with his 39.<br /></p>PTI
7/10:Mitchell Starc
<p>IPL's most expensive player Starc conceded 47 runs for KKR. In two matches, he bowled 8 overs, conceding 100 runs without taking any wickets.<br /></p>PTI
8/10:Faf du Plessis
<p>Du Plessis fell for eight at the end of the second over, scooping a perplexing delivery from Harshit Rana straight into the arms of Mitchell Starc.<br /></p>AFP
9/10:Cameron Green
<p>Cameron Green was the second-highest scorer with 33 runs but was dismissed when he missed a lightning delivery from Andre Russell, crashing off his back pad onto the stumps.<br /></p>AFP
10/10:Glenn Maxwell
<p>Maxwell scored 28 runs from 19 balls after being dropped twice, while Kohli survived a close run-out scare with a well-timed slide.<br /></p>PTIChopra, who played 10 Tests for India, also lauded KKR mentor Gautam Gambhir.
"I feel Gautam has given them a lot of confidence. Sunil Narine opening has Gautam Gambhir's imprint. Andre Russell bowling at the death also has a little imprint of Gautam Gambhir. He is empowering them slightly and the same can be said about Venkatesh Iyer. He has been empowered to hit fours and sixes," Chopra said.
