Raipur: Chasing the target successfully, world-famous Virat Kohli (105 not out off 60 balls, 3 sixes, 11 fours) smashed a record ninth century in his historic IPL match on Wednesday to guide defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to the top of the points table. In the process, Kolkata’s four-match winning streak came to an end. Virat had registered ducks in the previous two matches, but this time he silenced critics by proving that even at the age of 37, he can still produce record-breaking, match-winning centuries while chasing a target.
Virat breaks Dhoni and Rohit’s record
This was Virat’s 279th IPL match. He has now become the player with the most appearances in the 19-year-old Indian league tournament. He surpassed the record jointly held by MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma, who had played 278 matches each. Ravindra Jadeja (265 matches) is fourth on the list, while Dinesh Karthik (257 matches) is fifth.
Wednesday’s match started an hour late because of rain interruptions. After being put in to bat, Kolkata scored 192 for four in 20 overs. Bengaluru replied with 194 for four in 19.1 overs to move ahead of Gujarat and claim the top spot in the points table.
What is the situation in the points table?
Like Gujarat, Bengaluru also now have 16 points and are almost through to the playoffs. Hyderabad (14 points) are third and Punjab (13 points) fourth. Chennai (12 points) and Rajasthan (12 points) are placed fifth and sixth respectively. These six teams are in contention for the top four spots. Delhi (10 points) are seventh and Kolkata (9 points) eighth, making their playoff hopes extremely slim. Mumbai and Lucknow, with only six points each, have already been eliminated from the competition.
Virat-Padikkal partnership of 92 runs
After opener Jacob Bethell departed for 15 on Wednesday, Virat stitched together a 92-run stand for the second wicket with Devdutt Padikkal (39 off 27 balls, 7 fours) to lay the foundation for victory. Three batters fell one after another in front of Virat’s eyes later in the innings, but he remained firm at the crease.
Tyagi takes three wickets among Kolkata bowlers
The match could have finished even earlier instead of going into the 20th over, but Bengaluru lost three quick wickets. Eventually, Virat and Jitesh Sharma (8 not out) steered Bengaluru home. Bengaluru needed three runs in the final over, and Jitesh smashed a winning boundary off the very first ball bowled by pacer Saurabh Dubey. Among Kolkata’s six bowlers, fast bowler Kartik Tyagi picked up the most wickets with three, while spinner Sunil Narine claimed one wicket.
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Fighting 71 by Raghuvanshi goes in vain
Earlier, Kolkata recovered from a poor start to post a total close to 200. Kolkata scored 192 for four in 20 overs, with Angkrish Raghuvanshi contributing the highest score of 71 runs off 46 balls, including 3 sixes and 7 fours. However, his fighting half-century eventually went in vain because of Virat’s hundred.
Kolkata lost opener Finn Allen (18) at 23 and captain-opener Ajinkya Rahane (19) at 48, putting the team under pressure. However, Raghuvanshi held firm at the crease and added 68 runs for the third wicket with Cameron Green (32 off 24 balls, 1 six, 3 fours).
After Green was dismissed at a team total of 116, Raghuvanshi found support in Rinku Singh (49 not out off 29 balls, 2 sixes, 3 fours). The duo stitched together a 76-run partnership for the fourth wicket to take Kolkata into a safe zone. Raghuvanshi was eventually run out off the final ball of the 20th over, with Devdutt Padikkal and Bhuvneshwar Kumar combining for the dismissal.
Bengaluru’s hero from the previous match, Krunal Pandya, went wicketless despite conceding 39 runs, while Jacob Duffy also failed to take a wicket after giving away 48 runs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rasikh Salam and Josh Hazlewood picked up one wicket each.
Which match today?
Today, the 58th match of IPL will be played between Mumbai Indians and hosts Punjab Kings at Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh. Mumbai are already out of the playoff race. However, for Punjab, who have lost their last four matches in a row, this game is a matter of pride.