A lot was expected of Virat Kohli when he came out to bat in the Play-Off between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Wednesday (May 22).
The former RCB captain had scored many goals in the league stage and was expected to deliver for the team in the knockout match as well.
Virat Kohli started well with the bat and also started but failed to convert it into a big score as he was dismissed for 33 runs. His knock came from 24 balls and he was studded with 3 fours and a six.
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Virat Kohli’s former RCB teammate Yuzvendra Chahal dismissed him to give RR a breakthrough. The former Indian captain seemed to be in good touch and was well prepared.
But before he could shift gears, Chahal sent him packing. Kohli took a slow sweep against the leg-spinner and hit the ball straight to the fielder in the deep.
Varun Aaron highlights RCB’s eternal regret:
With Chahal claiming Kohli’s huge wicket, former India and RCB pacer Varun Aaron has said that the franchise’s eternal regret is letting go of Yuzvendra Chahal. The Bengaluru-based team surprised the cricket world by releasing Chahal ahead of the 2022 season.
While many expected RCB to go for spinner in the auction, they decided against it. Chahal was eventually bought by Rajasthan Royals and has been playing for them ever since.
Talking about the game, Aaron started by pointing out RCB’s surprising decision to let Chahal go before saying that spinners have made the difference in the playoff games so far.
“I think RCB’s eternal regret will be letting go of Yuzi Chahal. If you look at the two important matches, it was the spinners who made the difference.
“In the last match, it was Varun and Narine. Yes, Narine ran but he got an important wicket. Yuzi Chahal got the important wicket from Virat today, and Ash (R Ashwin) has had the best game in the IPL so far.”, Aaron told ESPNCricinfo.
“When you don’t have quality spinners in the middle, it is a bit difficult to control the game. When you are just bowling pace in the middle, you are at the mercy of the batsmen to get out instead of getting a wicket.” Aaron added.
Meanwhile, the Royals beat RCB by four wickets to set up a clash with Sunrisers Hyderabad in the second qualifier. The winner of the game will play Kolkata Knight Riders in the final on Sunday (May 26) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.