Bangalore, led by Faf du Plessis Later Kohli stepped down, as fourth side sneaked into last four Delhi Capitals Went to the wooden spoons of Mumbai Indians on Saturday.
With eight wins in 14 league matches, Bangalore entered the play-offs for the third time in a row in the Indian Premier League, and will play Lucknow Super Giants Wednesday at Eliminator.
Kohli, who returned with three golden ducks with 73 in his team’s last league match this season, tweeted “Kolkata” – the location of the eliminator – after Mumbai’s win.
️ kolkata @mipaltan @RCBTweets
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) 1653156509000
“It was unbelievable, the emotions in the changing room were unbelievable,” Kohli said after watching the Mumbai-Delhi match on TV.
“Thank you Mumbai, it will be remembered for a long time,” he said.
Guess ️@RCBTweets @faf1307 @Gmaxi_32 https://t.co/cmdIU81c2I
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) 1653166937000
Du Plessis said, “The last match we played, it almost felt like we played our best cricket game of this campaign so far and that’s how you want to get into those knockout stages.
“We needed someone in Mumbai to do us a favor, so we are really grateful for that, but apparently, work has resumed now.”
This is the 15th edition of the IPL, which has been held entirely for the first time since the pandemic in India, but with limited spectators in only two cities – Mumbai and Pune.
Five-time winners Mumbai – led by Kohli’s replacement as India captain Rohit Sharma – Was a shock, ending at the bottom of the table with 10 losses.
Also keeping in the back were defending champions Chennai, led by MS Dhoni, who finished ninth in the surprise season.
The two new franchises Gujarat and Lucknow ranked first and third.
Winning the IPL would be a welcome success for the 33-year-old Kohli, who replaced him as the Indian captain and failed to score hundreds in over 100 matches across all formats.
For all his exploits for India, he has never won an IPL title since joining Bangalore before the inaugural competition in 2008, including as captain between 2013 and 2021.
Before Sunday’s last league game – a dead rubber between Hyderabad and Punjab – Kohli was ranked 25th in the batting table, less than half of the top-ranked 629 runs. joss butler,
Commentators said the prolific batsman usually looked “overcooked” and needed a break, but Kohli thanked his fans for their support this IPL season.
“It is amazing that I have got so much support in this edition,” Kohli said after his team’s win over Gujarat Titans in their last league match.
“I am forever grateful for all the love I have never seen before.”
After Pune and Mumbai are allowed to fill only 50 per cent seats in the league stage, the crowd will return to full capacity for the four play-offs in Kolkata and Ahmedabad.
Top-ranked Gujarat, one of the two new franchises in the expanded 10-team IPL along with Lucknow, will finish second Rajasthan Royals Tuesday in the first qualifier
The winner will advance directly to the final – scheduled for May 29 – while the loser will take on either Bangalore or Lucknow in qualifier two on Friday.
The first two play-offs will be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata and the next two including the final will be played at the world’s largest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad.