Royal Challengers Bangalore and Virat Kohli’s wait for a first Indian Premier League title continued for another season as Sunrisers Hyder...
Royal Challengers Bangalore and Virat Kohli’s wait for a first Indian Premier League title continued for another season as Sunrisers Hyderabad knocked them out of the competition on Friday.
The six-wicket win in the eliminator gave the Sunrisers one last chance to reach the IPL final in a knockout qualifier against Delhi Capitals on Sunday. But for RCB, it felt like a familiar premise.
The franchise have never won the title and since Kohli took over as captain eight years ago, have only qualified for the playoffs thrice. The India captain, who has been in three IPL finals in 13 years, promoted himself to open but was out for six and Bangalore needed a patient 56 from AB de Villiers to boost their total.
Giving away soft wickets has also been the story of their season having finished with five straight defeats – two by the Sunrisers, who also beat Bangalore in their last final in 2016. But it was perhaps Moeen Ali’s bizarre dismissal – a run out of a free hit – that really summed up how up-and-down Bangalore have been this season, despite making the last four.
While the ever-steady de Villiers and uncapped Devdutt Padikkal, who has scored 473 runs in the tournament, have been standout...
