New Delhi: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) talisman Virat Kohli shed some light on his batting methodology after his team registered their seventh victory of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, in Delhi on Sunday. Taking on Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in what was a return clash between the two, RCB eked out revenge with a six-wicket win, on the back of Kohli’s half-century and Krunal Pandya’s quickfire 73*.
After the match concluded, Kohli, who batted at a strike rate of meagre 108.51, said his focus largely remains on analysing the conditions and rotating the strike, which led him to script yet another successful chase for RCB. The win pushed RCB to the top of the IPL 2025 points table while Delhi slipped to the fourth position after their third defeat in nine matches.
RCB were chasing a below-par 162 and were shockingly reduced to 26 for 3 before Kohli (51) and Krunal Pandya shared a stand of 119 runs coming off 84 balls to overcome the target in just 18.3 overs and extend their unbeaten run away from home (6 wins in 6 games).
🔝 of the points table ✅
Unbeaten away from home ✅@RCBTweets are flying high and above with yet another convincing victory tonight ❤Scorecard ▶ https://t.co/9M3N5Ws7Hm#TATAIPL | #DCvRCB pic.twitter.com/OIjrI13Bzd
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 27, 2025
“It was a top win, especially looking at the surface. We saw a few games here, and this wicket played out differently compared to those. Whenever there’s a chase on, I keep checking with the dugout, whether we’re on course,” Kohli said at the post-match presentation. He also got hold of the orange cap, after taking his runs tally to 443 in 10 innings so far, overtaking compatriot Suryakumar Yadav (427).
Kohli believed people are forgetting the importance of stitching partnerships and going deep into the innings in T20 cricket, and added that he doesn’t want the game to get stagnant. “I try and make sure my singles and doubles don’t stop so that the game doesn’t get stagnant. People are forgetting the importance of partnerships and that’s coming to the fore in this tournament to try and dominate the bowlers through partnerships and professionalism,” Kohli added.
Heading to playoffs
At this stage, it would be safe to say that RCB are almost qualified for the IPL 2025 playoff stage as they have climbed up to the top of the table with 14 points to their credit. Safe mark for qualification remains 16, and with four more matches remaining, they look comfortable to register a win in any one of those. In 10 games played so far, RCB has lost only three, all of which were in Bengaluru.
Meanwhile, Delhi too has lost three games now and holds six wins in nine games played so far. They are fourth with 12 points and require a minimum of two wins to reach the playoffs, out of their remaining five fixtures. They next face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on April 29, while RCB will be up against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on May 3.
Scoring 51 off 47 balls, Virat Kohli helped RCB complete another successful run-chase and bag their seventh win of the season on Sunday. Post-match Kohli emphasised on the importance of taking the game deep. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
