Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) all-rounder Kate Cross recently disclosed that it was Virat Kohli’s initiative to celebrate the franchise’s women’s team following their triumph in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) earlier this month. RCB clinched victory against Delhi Capitals (DC) by 8 wickets in the final held at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, securing the franchise’s maiden silverware.

Despite not playing a single game, Kate Cross shared that it was Kohli who messaged the owners, suggesting they ‘honour the girls’ during the RCB Unbox event on March 19. “The owner got the text from Virat Kohli saying, we should honour the girls on Sunday,” revealed Cross during an interview with BBC.

At the RCB Unbox event, the men’s team paid tribute to the women’s team by forming a guard of honour, demonstrating their recognition of their accomplishments. In the WPL final, all-rounder Sophie Molineux was awarded the Player of the Match title for her exceptional performance, which included taking three crucial wickets.

ALSO READ: Mayank Yadav Reveals Dale Steyn As Inspiration For His Lightning Pace

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli secured the Player of the Match accolade in RCB’s encounter against Punjab Kings (PBKS). During the match against PBKS, former RCB skipper Kohli showcased his prowess with a quality half-century on a slightly tricky pitch. His composed innings of 77 runs off 49 balls, adorned with 11 boundaries and 2 sixes, guided RCB to a total of 178 for six with four balls to spare, marking their inaugural victory of the IPL season.

Virat Kohli messaged RCB’s owners to honour Women’s team at the Unbox Event at Chinnaswamy as Kate Cross confirmed. To give guard of honour to Women’s team was Virat Kohli’s idea at Chinnaswamy.

– King Kohli winning hearts to everyone, What a great ambassador of the game! 🐐❤️ pic.twitter.com/CH1ZhcCARz

— CricketMAN2 (@ImTanujSingh) March 28, 2024

With RCB requiring 47 runs from the final 24 balls, Dinesh Karthik (28 not out off 10 balls) and ‘Impact Player’ Mahipal Lomror (17 not out off 8 balls) steered the team to victory with sensible cricketing shots. Kohli’s innings, although stellar, was not without its flaws, as he was given two reprieves – the first ball he faced when he was yet to score, and another when he reached 33 runs, both times benefiting from missed chances by pacer Sam Curran.

ALSO READ: Vijay Shankar Discusses Impact Of New IPL Bouncer Rule And Adaptability In Batting

Kohli achieved a significant milestone during the match, marking his 100th T20 fifty-plus score, a feat unmatched by any other Indian player and achieved by only two others worldwide. This remarkable performance showcased Kohli’s return to form following a disappointing outing against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).