‘Chase master’ Virat Kohli once again showcased his class with a sublime unbeaten half-century as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), backed by Krunal Pandya’s game-changing triple strike crushed defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by seven wickets in the IPL opener on Saturday. Ajinkya Rahane, who has transformed his T20 game, dazzled on his Kolkata Knight Riders captaincy debut with a 25-ball fifty, but it was Krunal’s 3/29 that ensured that the defending champions fell well short of the 200-mark, managing a below-par 174/8.
During chase, Phil Salt, rubbing salt into his former franchise’s wounds, gave RCB an explosive start with a 31-ball 56 laced with nine fours and two sixes. His whirlwind knock, in a 95-run opening stand with Kohli, set the tone for the chase.
Kohli then raced to a 30-ball fifty, raising his bat to deafening chants of his name in a signature 36-ball knock studded with three sixes and four fours as they sealed the chase in just 16.2 overs.
Moments after he reached fifty, the frenzy peaked when a pitch invader ran onto the field and fell at Kohli’s feet, summing up the adulation he commands across all venues.
Earlier Salt came out swinging against India’s in-form spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who was fresh from his Champions Trophy heroics.
He smashed him for 4-6-4-4 in succession in a brutal 21-run over—first over mid-off, then a six tonked over the same region, followed by a powerful drive over mid-on, before finishing with a slog-swept boundary to deep square leg.
Kohli soon joined the six-fest, taking on Spencer Johnson with effortless strokeplay.
A length ball outside off saw Kohli shuffle across and launch it straight over the bowler’s head for a 63-meter six.
The next delivery was an action replay, only this time the ball soared 75 meters into the stands.
RCB raced to 80/0 in the powerplay, firmly in command.
KKR finally found a breakthrough in the ninth over when Salt, was dismissed by Varun.
But Kohli was in no mood to relent. In the much-anticipated matchup against Chakravarthy, he showcased his class, slog-sweeping the leg-spinner over long-on before raising his bat to the dugout and pumping his fists.
In the process, Kohli also surpassed 1,000 IPL runs against KKR.
With the chase well under control, skipper Rajat Patidar (34 from 16 balls; 5×4, 1×6) joined Kohli and ensured there were no hiccups.
He took Rana apart in the 15th over, smashing four boundaries in five balls, virtually sealing the contest as RCB required just 18 runs from the final 30 balls.
The 36-year-old veteran, who last played a T20I for India in 2016 and replaced Shreyas Iyer at the helm, played a fearless knock of 56 off 31 balls.
Sunil Narine contributed 44 off 26, in a 103-run third wicket partnership off 55 balls to lay a solid platform scoring at 10 plus an over.
But their efforts were undone by left-arm spinner Krunal’s brilliant 3/29 in the middle overs where he dismissed a well-set Rahane, and the two KKR heavyweights duo of Venkatesh Iyer (6) and Rinku Singh (12) in successive overs.
The inability of KKR’s lower middle order — featuring their most expensive INR 23.75 crore signing Venkatesh, a horribly out of form Rinku Singh, and Russell—to fire cost them dearly as they managed just 23 runs and lost two wickets in the last four overs.
Josh Hazlewood, who started brilliantly with the new ball, finished with tidy 2/22 after RCB opted to bowl.
The 18th season of the IPL kicked off with a grand spectacle, featuring a 35-minute musical performance followed by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s iconic introduction of Virat Kohli, which electrified the crowd that outnumbered home team KKR’s fans with chants of “RCB, RCB” echoing through the stands.
“Virat Bhai is the only player who has been playing in the IPL since its inception, staying with the same team — RCB — for all 18 years.
“He is the OG (original gangster), the one and only GOAT,” Shah Rukh declared, adding that the new generation should be called the “Bold Generation.” The moment reached a crescendo when Shah Rukh and Kohli danced together to ‘Jhoome Jo Pathaan’.
But Kohli had his own response, reminding everyone that the old guard was still going strong.
“Thank you, Shah Rukh Bhai, for the lovely introduction. Coming to your question — yes, the bold generation is coming up strong, but the old generation is still here, ready to make an impact, still playing the game, and hopefully continuing to create memories for these amazing fans for years to come.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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