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All were waiting for RCB to lose, says Former India player as stunning Virat Kohli hands massive win

Virat Kohli scripted a massive victory for Royal Challengers Bangalore on Thursday (May 18) to hand them a crucial boost for the playoffs.

Kohli scored his first century of the season as RCB won the match by 8 wickets against SRH, thus taking them to 4th place in the table. With the win RCB have gone up to 14 points and a win in their last match against Gujarat Titans can be enough to take them to playoffs.

Virat Kohli RCB

But their victory has jeopardized the chances of a few other teams. Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings are all on 12 points, and the chance for their qualification has spiralled down as RCB won the match.

The same goes for Mumbai Indians, who are on 14 points. But due to RCB's superior NRR, even a win for MI may not be enough. And former RCB player and current MI Global Head of Cricket Development Zaheer Khan says all other teams were waiting for Faf du Plessis and his boys to lose.

"All other teams in the points table were waiting for RCB to lose tonight, so there was pressure. We've seen this team crumble under pressure in previous seasons," Zaheer said on JioCinema after the match.

Then the former India bowler went on to praise Virat Kohli for his sumptuous batting. Kohli and Faf du Plessis added 172 runs for 1st wicket and Zaheer says the Indian stalwart made batting look easy.

"Whenever Virat gets to hitting fours early, he hit four to five fours in his first two overs. He scored 22 runs and 20 of them were through fours. He built a strong platform and then took it into the zone. It seemed like we were going to see something special, and we got to see something special," he added.

RCB's late-season form has put teams around the TATA IPL on notice, which led to Brett Lee saying that Bangalore has a genuine shot of seeing the city's first IPL title since the tournament's inception, "RCB, they will give this IPL a red-hot crack. I have got them in my top four and watch out, they could win it this year."

Story first published: Friday, May 19, 2023, 14:02 [IST]
Other articles published on May 19, 2023
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