Courtesy: BCCI/IPL
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) veteran opener Virat Kohli has revealed his team's batting template for the tournament after win against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Batting first after losing the toss, RR put RCB to bat first and the home side posted 205/5 on the board in the difficult batting conditions. Kohli again stepped up and played a 70-run knock off 42 balls with 10 boundaries. He was supported by Devdutt Padikkal, who chipped in with his brisk 50 off 27. Despite putting up a massive total on the board, RCB struggled against RR batters due to dew factor. However, Josh Hazlewood held his nerves and got the better of Rajasthan. The pacer grabbed 4/26 figures in his four overs and got the player of the match (POTM) award.
After the game, Kohli appeared in a chat with JioHotstar and was asked about challenges he faced as an opener. With a smile on his face, the 36-year-old said, "The first challenge is winning the toss. In the second half there is always dew. We've struggled to put on a par score” remarked Kohli. The veteran’s comment highlights how difficult the pitch was in the second innings for the bowlers. He also added the track wasn’t friendly to batters in the initial overs of the match but later on dew made the contact between ball and bat easy. He also commended RR batters for taking advantage of the condition in the initial overs of the innings. “The pitch wasn't as flat as the score makes it look. Dew made the ball come on nicely in the second half and credit to Rajasthan for coming out and playing some good shots."
He also added, "The template is now pretty simple, for one guy to bat through and the others to attack around him. Devdutt and I know this ground well. Just wanted to let Salt to his thing at the top. There is pace and bounce in the first few overs with the new ball. Today we just tried to time the ball and keep enough pressure on the opposition to keep giving us boundary balls."
RR register their seventh defeat in IPL 2025
With the loss against RCB, RR recorded their seventh defeat in the competition. With seven defeats and two wins in nine outings, Rajasthan are at the brink of elimination. Another loss will confirm their exit from the tournament. Their next encounter will be against Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on April 28.
RCB, on the other hand, have climbed to the third spot on the points table. Rajat Patidar and his men have bagged six victories and three defeats in their nine matches. Bengaluru will next take on Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on April 27. RCB haven’t lost any away game so far in the competition.
