Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar slammed Royal Challengers Bengaluru for finishing on the losing side despite Virat Kohli's unbeaten knock of 83 in their IPL 2024 match against Kolkata Knight Riders in Bengaluru on Friday, questioning why the rest of the squad wasn’t able to perform at the same level.
Kohli struck four fours and as many sixes as he brought up his second half-century on the trot following his 49-ball 77 that helped RCB beat Punjab Kings. Bengaluru’s first innings total of 182, however, was easily eclipsed by the visitors who, powered by Sunil Narine’s 22-ball 47 and Venkatesh Iyer’s 30-ball 50, chased the target down with seven wickets and more than three overs to spare.
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“You tell me how much Kohli will do alone - someone should accompany him, If someone had supported him today, he would definitely have scored 120 instead of 83, so this is team sport not a single man game, he didn’t get any support today,” Gavaskar said following RCB’s loss, which made them the first team to suffer a defeat at home in the ongoing season.
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While the Knight Riders collected their second win on the trot following their thrilling four-run victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad, the Royal Challengers suffered their second defeat in three outings, having lost the season-opening match against defending champions Chennai Super Kings by six wickets in Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium.
Two-time champions KKR find themselves tied on four points with CSK and Rajasthan Royals, with Chennai and Kolkata occupying the top two spots due to their Net Run Rate. RCB, who have never won the trophy in 16 seasons despite reaching the final thrice, find themselves at sixth with two points.
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Kohli, meanwhile, jumped to the top of the batters’ list with his second consecutive half-century and is the current holder of the Orange Cap.