Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) had another poor year in Indian Premier League (IPL) despite Virat Kohli’s great effort in last league match. The team had a season with a lot of up and downs, winning seven games out of fourteen games, and finishing sixth in the points table.
This year’s disappointment was more stinging because RCB controlled their own destiny. They would have qualified for the playoffs if they had won their last league game against the Gujarat Titans. However, after winning their last league game of the season, Mumbai Indians qualified to the playoffs.
The brilliance of Shubman Gill, who smashed a sparkling century of his own, overshadowed Virat Kohli’s spectacular century. Unfortunately for the fans of Bangalore and their star player, his courageous performance was in nought as another season came to an end.
It’s not the first time when the team has failed to cross the finish line despite top player trying everything he could. That has always been a problem for RCB, with not enough homegrown players rising up to back the stars.
On that topic, here are three instances in the IPL where Virat Kohli’s one-man effort for RCB was in vain.
1) 101* vs Gujarat Titans, IPL 2023
In the last league game of the season, Virat Kohli put on a great batting show at Chinnaswamy Stadium. His century, which featured 13 fours and a maximum, propelled RCB to a total of 197/5.
Shubman Gill, on the other hand, stole the show as he knocked his way to a century, blasting an undefeated 104 off 52 balls. Gujarat Titans won the game by six wickets and five balls, eliminating RCB out of the IPL 2023 playoffs.
2) 100* vs Gujarat Lions, IPL 2016
Kohli was at his prime in 2016 and commanded every team in the IPL, scoring 973 runs at an average of 81.08 and a strike rate of 152.03. That season, he had four tonnes, including two against the Gujarat Lions.
The RCB skipper hammered 11 fours and a maximum on his route to a 63-ball century. He and KL Rahul put up a 121-run partnership to enable the side to score a total of 180/2.
The captain’s century, however, was in vain, as the Gujarat Lions won the match by 6 wickets with three balls to spare with Dinesh Karthik’s half-century.
3) 92 vs Mumbai Indians, IPL 2018
Mumbai Indians were in significant difficulties early in the game, losing Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan to Umesh Yadav’s first two deliveries. Half-centuries from Rohit Sharma and Evin Lewis rescued the hosts at the Wankhede Stadium, where they recorded an excellent total of 213/6.
In response, RCB’s innings were relatively tame, carried by only one guy. Kohli struck 92* from 62 balls, hitting seven fours and four sixes. However, that was insufficient to aid his team because the rest of the batting lineup fell horribly around him. Bangalore finally lost by 46 runs, and the captain’s knock was in vain.