By the time Kohli came out, he faced 40% balls and scored just 32% of RCB’s total.
This might just end up as one of the worst innings in an Indian Premier League (IPL) Final. Virat Kohli has just played a stinker of an innings at the Narendra Modi Stadium against Punjab Kings (PBKS). It could very well prove to be a match-losing knock for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and mean that they might not get close to the IPL 2025 trophy.
Virat Kohli struggles in IPL 2025 Final
It wasn’t the best of starts for Kohli. He faced just 2 balls in the first 3 overs of the match. By the end of the powerplay, Kohli had faced a mere 10 balls. That’s not even 30% of the total deliveries bowled. Given it was a final and Phil Salt had been dismissed, Kohli went into the anchor mode. Then in the 7th over, Yuzvendra Chahal got Mayank Agarwal’s wicket.
This forced Kohli to play within himself and not take any undue risk. With Rajat Patidar coming in, he looked to rotate the strike. And it was working well for a while until Kyle Jamieson sent the RCB captain back after he scored a brisk 26 from 16. By the 11th over, Kohli’s strike rate was just 127.27, 28 (22).
The team’s collective strike rate, including Kohli, was 146.83. In simple terms, it was the star batter who was slowing them down. Salt had struck at 200; Agarwal, despite being slow, struck at 133.33 and Patidar at 162.50. The pressure was mounting, not only on RCB but also on Kohli.
PBKS are a batting-heavy team, and they had chased 204 with an over to spare just two days ago. Kohli knew he had to get a move on. But at this point, he couldn’t get going. A boundary (four) to Chahal in the 14th over raised hopes. But Azmatullah Omarzai finally got his wicket in the next over.
Kohli’s final score was 43 (35). His strike decreased from 127 to 122. The former RCB captain will receive a lot of flak for his knock but in truth, it might depend on the final result. No one will criticise him if PBKS doesn’t go on to win the IPL 2025 Final and the pitchforks will be out if RCB loses.
Virat Kohli’s record in IPL Finals
| Year | Runs | Balls | Fours | Sixes | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 87.50 |
| 2011 | 35 | 32 | 1 | 1 | 109.37 |
| 2016 | 54 | 35 | 5 | 2 | 154.28 |
| 2025 | 43 | 35 | 3 | 0 | 122.86 |
| Total | 96 | 75 | 7 | 3 | 128 |
Editor’s Pick
Cricket
IPL 2025 final LIVE score: Jitesh joins Livingstone at death after Virat Kohli’s wicket
Top Stories
Share article
Follow us on Social Media
Tell us why you did not like our article so that we could improve?
ICC test rankings
ICC ODI rankings
ICC T20i ranking
