Another year but the same old story for the Virat Kohli-starrer Royal Challengers Bangalore! It has been 16 years to the Indian Premier League but still no trophy in RCB’s cabinet. Every year, the team and their fans start fresh for the IPL season with new hope and belief of bringing the cup home ‘Ee Sala Cup Naamde’, however, the end result is heartbreaking. The ongoing 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League was no different.
Mohammed Siraj And Virat Kohli Almost Broke Down
They looked dangerous this time, they came so close once again, however, only to eventually stumble. Royal Challengers Bangalore fought till the end, but they failed to even make it to the playoff qualification.
This is the first time after three seasons that RCB couldn’t make it to the top four as Gujarat Titans crushed their hopes with a six-wicket win in the last league match of the ongoing season.
Virat Kohli was at his absolute best as he smashed back-to-back centuries – his 7th in the IPL, however, all his efforts went in vain as young talent Shubman Gill smashed the second century of the season and overshadowed the efforts of former RCB skipper.
RCB only needed a win to pip Mumbai Indians and secure themselves a spot in the playoffs but Gill’s sensational knock of 104 runs off 52 balls, including 5 fours and 8 sixes helped Gujarat Titans finish the game with 10 wins and 20 points.
Meanwhile, Kohli and his men were visibly upset after the defeat and they almost broke down. Check out some unseen pictures:
Later after the game, speaking to the broadcasters, RCB skipper Faf du Plessis expressed his disappointment. He said:
“Obviously very disappointing. We got a really strong team tonight; excellent innings by Shuman Gill. There was a lot of grip in the second innings. I thought 195-200 was a good score. We needed that wicket of Shubman. From our batting perspective, our top four contributed really well… We missed a few runs consistently throughout the season, especially in the back-end of the innings. Perhaps in the middle [overs], we didn’t get as many wickets as we would have liked. We need a good middle order, and make sure we finish games off. Last season it was DK, but this season it wasn’t to be,”
