Virat Kohli in best T20 form of career despite IPL exit with Royal Challengers Bangalore

22.05.2023 - 11:55 thenationalnews.com

A second successive century from Virat Kohli was not enough to prevent Royal Challengers Bangalore from crashing out of this year's Indian Premier League.

The former India and RCB captain cracked an unbeaten 101 off 61 balls in a rain-delayed match against reigning champions Gujarat Titans, which was his seventh IPL ton, overtaking Chris Gayle’s record for most scored in the tournament's history.

Kohli also passed the 600-run mark for the third time in 16 IPL seasons and became the third batter to record consecutive IPL centuries – after Jos Buttler and Shikhar Dhawan – to help his team reach 197-5 at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Bangalore had to win their final IPL game of the league stage to claim the last available play-off spot, but Shubman Gill followed his century against Sunrisers Hyderabad with an unbeaten 104 off 52 balls as Gujarat reached 198-4 with five balls to spare for a six-wicket win.

cricket Career Jos Buttler Chris Gayle India Mumbai Hyderabad Chennai Bangalore

Gujarat Titans have qualified for the 2023 IPL final after beating the Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2 by 62 runs at the Narendra Modi stadium in Mumbai. The Titans put in a stunning performance with the bat, scoring 233 runs in the first innings. Shubman Gill had a spectacular 129-run knock (60b, 7x4, 10x6) that opened the floodgates for GT. Mumbai tried hard with several batters getting a good start but were eventually bowled out with 10 deliveries remaining, scoring 171 runs. Suryakumar Yadav top-scored with 61 runs (38b, 7x4, 2x6). A rematch against the Chennai Super Kings beckons, as CSK beat Gujarat in Qualifier 1 on Tuesday to solidify their spot in the final.

Unstoppable Shubman Gill Is A 'Joy To Watch' As GT Star Slams 3rd Century Of IPL 2023

The story of Shubman Gill keeps getting better and better with every match. The talented opening batter has already been anointed the 'prince' of Indian cricket by billions of fans and Gill gave them another reason to show that he rightly deserves the title more than anybody else. The 23-year-old Gill slammed his third century of IPL 2023 for Gujarat Titans in just 49 balls against Mumbai Indians in a must-win IPL Qualifier 2 in Ahmedabad on Friday. While reaching the triple figure mark thrice in one season is a big feat in itself, the commanding fashion in which Gill reached the mark was a treat to watch in itself. This is the joint fastest ton in IPL Playoffs. Wriddhiman Saha (2014 final) and Rajat Patidar (2022 Eliminator) also reached the triple-figure marks in 49 balls.

Watch: Chris Gayle Gives A 'Munna Bhai' Twist To Royal Challengers Bangalore's IPL 2023 Exit

After Royal Challengers Bangalore's exit from IPL 2023, former player of the franchise Chris Gayle shared a reel on social media. In the clip, Gayle could be seen mourning about Virat Kohli and Co. failing to enter the playoffs with the Bollywood song 'Apun Jaise Tapori' from the movie 'Munna Bhai MBBS' running in background. Notably, Gayle played 142 IPL matches scoring 4965 at an average close to 40 and a strike rate of almost 150. He continues to hold the record for scoring the highest runs (175 not out) in a single inning of IPL. He played for RCB from 2011 to 2017.

Virat Kohli Pens Heartfelt Note After RCB's Bitter Exit From IPL 2023

Royal Challengers Bangalore stalwart Virat Kohli penned a heartfelt post for his and the franchise's supporters after seeing the team's campaign in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 came to end in the league phase. RCB needed to beat Gujarat Titans to qualify for the playoffs but they suffered a 6-wicket defeat on Sunday, crashing out of the competition. Kohli, who scored a century in the match, was understandably disappointed to see the big dream of lifting the IPL title remaining unfulfilled again.

How 'Prince' Of Indian Cricket Shubman Gill Is Ruling IPL 2023 So Far

Shubman Gill continues to break records at the age of 23, and he has now joined elite company following his match-winning century for Gujarat Titans (GT) in their final Indian Premier League (IPL) league stage match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Sunday. With his century, Gill joined batters who have had an IPL season with 600-plus runs before turning 25. In the ongoing season, Gill has scored 680 runs at an average of 56.66 at a strike rate of 152.66. He has scored two centuries and four fifties this season, with the best score of 104*. He is the second-highest run-scorer this season.

Virat Kohli Continues Breaking Records In T20 Cricket, Slams 8th Century

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batter Virat Kohli surpassed Luke Wright to become the batter with joint-third-highest centuries in T20 cricket. Virat accomplished this feat against Gujarat Titans (GT) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match. In the match, Virat scored 101* in just 61 balls. His knock consisted of 13 fours and a six. In 14 matches of IPL 2023, he has scored 639 runs at an average of 53.25 and a strike rate above 139. He has scored two centuries and six fifties this season, with best score of 101*. He is the third-highest run-scorer in the league so far.