IPL 2021: Virat Kohli sports chill mood ahead of clash against SRH

Royal Challengers Bangalore have started their campaign in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) on a strong note. The Virat Kohli-led side beat defending champions Mumbai Indians by two wickets in a thrilling manner in the tournament-opener last week. The game lived up to the expectations and was decided only on the final ball.

Asked to bat first, Mumbai Indians could only post 159 for 9 in the allotted 20 overs. At 135 for 3 in the 16th over, the five-time champions were looking set to post a good total. However, Harshal Patel ran through their lineup as he took the season’s first five-wicket haul. The right-arm pacer finished the game with impressive figures of 5 for 27.

Patel bowled overs 16, 18 and 20, and was solely responsible for Mumbai ending up below 160 when they looked set for more than 180. He dismissed Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, and debutant Marco Jansen to dash Mumbai’s hopes of scoring big. In reply, RCB chased down the total on the very last ball of the game.

Washington Sundar (10) and Rajat Patidar (8) could not deliver with the bat at the top before Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell steadied the ship with a 52-run stand. But Kohli’s dismissal opened the floodgates as RCB found themselves reeling at 122 for 6 from 98 for 2. However, AB de Villiers played fine innings of 48 from just 27 balls to ensure RCB crossed the finishing line.

Virat Kohli chilling with teammates:

Following the win in their tournament opener, the mood in the RCB camp is upbeat and it was evident by their skipper Virat Kohli’s latest tweet. Ahead of his team’s second game, Kohli took to Twitter to post a ‘chilling’ tweet with his fans and followers. He posted a photo of himself sitting alongside teammates AB de Villiers and Harshal Patel, tweeting:

“Chilling with these dudes post-practice @ABdeVilliers17 @HarshalPatel23”

Here is the tweet from Virat Kohli:

Chilling with these dudes post practice @ABdeVilliers17@HarshalPatel23 pic.twitter.com/Y06h8QnIXg

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) April 13, 2021

Meanwhile, RCB will lock horns against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their second game of the tournament. The game will take place on Wednesday (April 14) in Chennai. Unlike RCB, SRH have started their season with a 10-run loss against KKR.