Virat Kohli cemented his position in top spot in the Orange Cap race, but failed to prevent a defeat for RCB.
Orange Cap IPL 2024 update: Despite failing to prevent a defeat for Royal Challengers Bangalore on Saturday, Virat Kohli extended his lead in the IPL 2024 Orange Cap race, courtesy of an unbeaten ton against Rajasthan Royals. The former RCB captain has now registered 316 runs in five matches and is followed by RR’s Riyan Parag (185) in second position.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Virat Kohli plays a shot.(AFP)
RR captain Sanju Samson is third with 178 runs, SRH star Heinrich Klaasen (177) is in fourth position in the standings. Meanwhile, GT captain Shubman Gill occupies fifth place with 164 runs.
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Chasing 184, RR cruised to 189/4 in 19.1 overs courtesy of an unbeaten knock of 100 off 58 balls by Jos Buttler. Initially, an unbeaten knock of 114 runs off 72 balls by Virat Kohli saw RCB post 183/3 in 20 overs. The India star smacked 12 fours and four sixes. For RR’s bowling department, Yuzvendra Chahal took two wickets.
Speaking after his knock, Kohli said, ” I am not coming in with any premeditation. I knew I couldn’t get over aggressive, just that I had to keep the bowlers guessing. It’s just experience and maturity of playing the conditions. Even if there’s dew, the surface is rough and dry, won’t be easy for the batters. I couldn’t get under the ball against Ashwin. Couldn’t slog towards mid-wicket, so had to target straight down the ground.”
Meanwhile, Buttler said, “I did feel really good in the last game, even though I got 13. I had a really good tournament in South Africa, I just felt like I needed one innings to put that to bed. We started the season really well, we have been together now for three seasons, we have got a good thing going, but we need to keep working hard and keep the momentum going.”
Orange Cap history
The inaugural Orange Cap was won by Shaun Marsh in 2008, with 616 runs. Meanwhile, Sachin Tendulkar was the first Indian to achieve the feat in 2010 with 618 runs. Chris Gayle made it back-to-back in 2011 and 2012, with 608 and 733 runs. Kohli has already won the Orange Cap once in the past, doing it in 2016 with 973 runs. Meanwhile, Shubman Gill won the Orange Cap last year, with 890 runs.
