Virat Kohli looked poised for a big one on Friday, May 23, but his explosive start fizzled out just as the chase began to heat up. In a high-stakes IPL 2025 encounter between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, Kohli got off the blocks swiftly but couldn’t see it through.
Chasing a daunting 232-run target, RCB needed a fiery start, and Kohli looked up for the challenge. The former RCB skipper set the tone from ball one, cracking Pat Cummins’ second delivery of the innings over backward point for a boundary. With his trademark aggression, he then took on Jaydev Unadkat in the very next over, following up with two more crisp fours off Cummins.
Harshal Patel, facing his former teammate, fared no better. Kohli effortlessly pierced the gaps to collect two more boundaries off him, and by the fifth over, RCB had already crossed 50. Kohli capped off the powerplay with a thunderous six off young Eshan Malinga, launching it over deep mid-wicket. At the end of six overs, RCB were cruising at 72 for no loss, with Kohli blazing away on 42 off just 22 deliveries.
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However, just as fans began to sense something special, Kohli perished in the seventh over. Trying to cut Harsh Dubey through point, he mistimed the shot and handed a simple catch to Abhishek Sharma at backwards point. The soft dismissal left Kohli visibly frustrated.
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In the stands, wife Anushka Sharma, who had been watching intently, wore a look of disbelief as the camera panned to her reaction. It was a moment that mirrored the sentiments of millions of RCB fans.
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At the time of writing, RCB were 163/3 in 14 overs, with Jitesh Sharma batting on 21 and Rajat Patidar unbeaten on 15. Earlier, a sensational 95* from Ishan Kishan propelled SRH to a commanding 231/6, putting RCB under immense pressure in a must-win game.
