Virat Kohli returning to pavilion (Source: AP Photos)
On the 18th birthday of the Indian Premier League, Royal Challengers and Virat Kohli unintentionally registered a co-incidence for the ages. Be it 2008 or 2025, April 18 hasn’t proved to be a fruitful date for RCB at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
At the nine-over mark on both the dates, Royal Challengers Bengaluru struggled at 43/7 in nine overs. Playing as a specialist batter before and after leading the franchise, Kohli was dismissed for a solitary run on both the occasions respectively.
RCB And Virat Kohli’s Shocking Coincidence On April 18
The first-ever match of the cash-rich league needed Bengaluru (then Bangalore) to chase down a 223-run target. Batting at No. 3, Kohli was dismissed for 1 (5) after being bowled by Ashok Dinda. Wanting to pull a short delivery, all Kohli did was dragged the ball back to the stumps.
As far as the ongoing IPL 2025 Match 34 is concerned, Kohli scored 1 (3) while opening the batting alongside Phil Salt. Unlike 2008, RCB batted in the first innings of a rain-affected 14-over contest at their home ground tonight.
Speaking particularly of Kohli’s dismissal, the right-handed batter’s attempt to up the ante saw him skying an Arshdeep Singh delivery towards Marco Jansen at mid-on.
Apart from Royal Challengers’ time to bat in the match, another major difference between both the matches was the number of runs scored in the first innings. While the home team had lost to Kolkata Knight Riders in what ended up becoming a one-sided encounter 17 years ago, they are trying their level best to defend 96 runs on Friday.
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