Virat Kolhi ( Source : IPL )
Royal Challengers Bengaluru faced a disappointing defeat at the hands of Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator encounter of the ongoing IPL 2024. Sanju Samson & Co. will now face Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Qualifier 2, where the winner will meet Kolkata Knight Riders for the ultimate goal. Meanwhile, RCB’s loss meant that their star cricketer Virat Kohli once again ended his tournament with his trophy dream unfulfilled.
Naturally dejected with the humiliation, Kohli flicked off the bails at an end of the wickets while leaving the field at the Narendra Modi Stadium. After dislodging the bails, the ace cricketer was seen going towards the players for a handshake formality, but his emotions were completely dry. The video of the moment started doing the rounds on the internet, and the 35-year-old’s fans joined his grief after an unwilling end to the campaign.
Watch the video here:
A comeback to winning ways when it mattered the most & how 👌👌
Upwards & Onwards for Rajasthan Royals in #TATAIPL 2024 😄⏫
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/b5YGTn7pOL #RRvRCB | #Eliminator | #TheFinalCall
A comeback to winning ways when it mattered the most & how 👌👌
Upwards & Onwards for Rajasthan Royals in #TATAIPL 2024 😄⏫
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/b5YGTn7pOL #RRvRCB | #Eliminator | #TheFinalCall pic.twitter.com/NsxjVGmjZ9
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 22, 2024
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 22, 2024
While Kohli’s feelings were gnawing, the opposition seemed to be extremely happy with the loss, since they had been on a losing streak for some games leading into this contest. In fact, at one point, RR were the table-toppers, but a string of losses meant they came third to face Bengaluru in the Eliminator.
Also Read: RR vs RCB: Tushar Deshpande take subtle jibe at RCB with now-deleted Instagram story
Speaking more of the thrilling encounter, Faf du Plessis & Co came out to bat first, as they scored 172/8 at the end of their 20 overs. Rajat Patidar, Virat Kohli, and Mahipal Lomror added over 30 runs each, but there were no healthy contributions from other batters, as Ravichandran Ashwin’s brilliant spell of 2/19 dismissed dangerous batters Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green on successive deliveries. Avesh Khan too added three wickets to his kitty, and bowled brilliantly at the death to stem the target by some runs.
During the chase, RR got off to a decent start, with opener Yashasvi Jaiswal scoring crucial 45 off 30. However, it was the game awareness of Riyan Parag and Shimron Hetmyer that brought RR in a comfortable position. Caribbean all-rounder Rovman Powell added the finishing touch to see the Royals a place in the Qualifier 2.