IPL 2020: Most forgettable day for Virat Kohli

Friday, September 24, turned out to be a day in contrast for the two captains on the field in the Indian Premier League 2020. Also, an anti-climax for the one rated better and favourite.

KL Rahul will like to remember and emulate this evening at the Dubai International Stadium every time he steps on to the field anywhere, against any opposition and in any format of the game. Virat Kohli will be itching to forget it as a nightmare. Not because his team lost despite being favourites. But he himself was the one disastrous factor in the flop show.

It is said a captain is as good as the team he gets. But in the RCB vs KXIP teams turned out to be as good or as bad as their respective captains. One scripted the win for the Kings and the other will be discredited for painting a defeat for the Royals.

KL RAHUL

Rahul thrashed unbeaten 132 off a mere 69 deliveries, 21 of them were despatched to or beyond the fence, including seven aerially. An IPL record total for any captain, surpassing David Warner’s 126. Rahul’s total that acceded the Royal Challengers Bangalore aggregate by 23 runs could not have been possible without Kohli’s generosity. Not once. But twice.

Among the safest hands in the field, Kohli gave the first reprieve to Rahul when the Kings XI skipper waw batting on 83 in the 17th over of the innings bowled by Dale Steyn. It hurt really hard as the Rahul smashed 49 of the next 13 deliveries he faced. The damage could have still been undone to some extent, but for the butter-fingered Kohli. In the next over bowled by Navdeep Saini, the KXIP skipper got another reprieve from his counterpart in the RCB camp.

When a Virat Kohli-led team gets 207 to chase off 120 deliveries, hopes and optimism rest on exemplary display from the skipper. He set another bad example, consuming five deliveries for just one run before departure.

If all this were not enough, Kohli had more bad news awaiting him from the match referee’s office. He has been handed a ₹ 12 lakh fine. His team maintained a slow over-rate during the match.

This being the team’s first offence of the season under the IPL’s code of conduct relating to minimum over-rate offences, the fine was fixed at ₹ 12 lakh.

Kohli and RCB will be desperate to mend their ways well in time before their next outing.

Admin Sportz Front

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