Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s wait for their maiden IPL trophy continued on Wednesday when they were beaten by Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2024 Eliminator. The match marked the end of Virat Kohli’s IPL campaign. While a lot of fans took to social media to criticise RCB’s star batter Kohli for the loss, former Australian opener Matthew Hayden praised Kohli and said the loss could not be attributed to him.
Hayden backs Kohli
“OK look, this loss has nothing to do with Kohli. You know, he’s put his absolute heart and soul on the line. And even when you think about his fielding effort tonight, that was a brilliant run out of Jurel. So, you know, for me, those numbers are ridiculous. 8000. That’s a lot of T20 runs,” said Hayden on Star Sports.
Hayden also expressed his admiration for Kohli’s unwavering competitiveness, saying that his ability to consistently score runs makes him a valuable asset to any team.
“I also love that about Virat Kohli. Competitive spirit matters. Have a look at this off-balance, right on the money to Cameron Green and another superb piece of effort. I mean, that’s competition. You want someone like him who’s a franchise leader, and you want him in your team 100 percent. He just keeps churning out runs. He’s actually been better this season,” the former Australian opener added.
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Kohli on song in IPL 2024
Virat Kohli is still the Orange Cap holder of IPL 2024. He finished this year’s campaign with 741 runs in 15 matches at an average of just under 62 and a strike rate of over 154. The talismanic batter has been carrying the RCB team with his batting and fielding abilities.
On Wednesday, he scored 33 runs and produced an acrobatic effort on-field effort to send Dhruv Jurel back to the pavillion.
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