Virat Kohli’s influence transcends franchise rivalries, and it showed during RCB’s opening match of the IPL 2024 season against CSK
The 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League saw a blockbuster start, with Chennai Super Kings registering a thumping win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Friday. The CSK kickstarted their new era under Ruturaj Gaikwad’s captaincy, although MS Dhoni, the former captain, in style as the defending champions registered a six-wicket win despite losing the toss at home.
Sameer Rizi poses with Virat Kohli (L); shakes his hand during post-match plesanatries(Instagram/X)
In addition to Dhoni, this game also marked the return of India’s star batter Virat Kohli. The 35-year-old made a comeback to competitive cricket after three months, having last appeared for the side during the T20I series against Afghanistan in January. While Kohli had an off day (21 off 20 balls) with the bat, the return of the India great was one of the major talking points, too.
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The India batter is an idol to many; just last week, following RCB women’s triumphant victory in the Women’s Premier League, bowler Shreyanka Patil shared a heartwarming moment with Kohli. Expressing her sheer excitement over Kohli acknowledging her name, Shreyanka’s heartfelt post brought joy to fans worldwide.
On Friday, it was proved yet again that Kohli’s influence transcends franchise rivalries. After CSK’s triumph over RCB, debutant Sameer Rizvi extended a gracious gesture towards the former Indian and RCB captain. As the players exchanged post-match pleasantries, Rizvi approached Kohli, respectfully removed his cap, shook hands with him, and then promptly re-donned his cap.
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Rizvi also posted a picture with Kohli as the duo met post-match in the dressing room, calling him the “Forever legend.”
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A post shared by Sameer Rizvi (@sameer_rizvi_786)
Kohli remains the highest run-getter in the Indian Premier League with 7284 runs to his name so far. During the match against CSK, the India batter also became the first from the country to breach the 12,000-run mark in the shortest format of the game. Overall, he is the sixth batter to achieve this feat.
RCB to meet KKR
Following their tough loss to CSK, the Royal Challengers will be aiming to revive their campaign when they meet the Kolkata Knight Riders at home. This will be the side’s first home game in Bengaluru; KKR had registered a dramatic four-run win against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in their opening match on Saturday.
