Every time Virat Kohli steps out at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Royal Challengers Bengaluru colours, it feels less like a homecoming and more like a reminder of what could have been and what got away. For Delhi Capitals, the story goes back to the earliest days of the league when a teenage Kohli was there but the franchise chose Pradeep Sangwan instead. That decision has since turned into folklore.
Kohli, meanwhile, wrote his own legend elsewhere. Fresh from leading RCB to their long-awaited title last season, he returns to Delhi not just as a visitor, but as a figure that continues to haunt the franchise’s what-ifs. Against Delhi, he amassed 1,149 runs in 32 matches at an average of 47.88 – numbers that sound like a slow, steady echo. And at this place, his ground, the numbers continue to pile up: 534 runs in 11 innings at an average of 66.75.
Each visit is less about rivalry and more about reminiscing – the runs piling up like a silent, inexorable question that Delhi still can’t answer.
Last year, Kohli came up against a DC side that was upbeat and confident and ready to challenge for the title when it came to visit the Arun Jaitley Stadium. This time, the Capitals were a bit shaky after the beating they got from the Punjab Kings.
After posting 264, Delhi struggled to defend the total as Punjab won the match with seven balls to spare. Axar Patel has bowled over the team in fielding and power bowling, two areas in which they will need to be at the top of their game against RCB.
Bengaluru have shown very few weak areas this season, their batsmen have shown their prowess in big shots and their fielding and bowling have been on par.
Similar to last season, all of their players stepped up when called upon to perform.
