But the dream of Virat Kohli winning the first IPL title before stepping down as captain was broken as the Bangalore-based franchise lost to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Eliminator on Monday to get knocked out of IPL 2021.
Notably, on the opening day of the second leg of the fourteenth season, Kohli announced that he would quit RCB’s captaincy following the conclusion of the 2021 edition. And with a four-wicket defeat at Sharjah Cricket Ground, Kohli’s stint as RCB captain came to an end.
After the match against KKR, Kohli opened up on his future with the Challengers and said loyalty matters to him the most, and he will stay in RCB till the last day of his IPL career.
“Yes definitely, I don’t see myself playing anywhere else. Loyalty matters more to me than worldly pleasures. I would be in the RCB till the last day I play in the IPL,” said Kohli at the post-match presentation.
On his decision to leave the leadership of the Bangalore team, the 32-year-old said he gave his 120% to the franchise and will continue doing so as a player.
“I have tried my best to create a culture here where youngsters could come in and play with freedom and belief. It is something I have done with India as well. I have given my best. I don’t know how the response has been, but I have given 120% to this franchise every time, which is something I will now do as a player. It is a great time to regroup and restructure for the next three years with people who will take this ahead,” added Kohli.
Speaking about his captaincy, Kohli led RCB in 140 matches and registered 66 victories, while in 70 games, the Delhi-lad faced defeats. The remaining 4 fixtures had no results.
Kohli is also the highest run-getter both as a skipper and as an individual player. As captain, the right-handed batter scored 4881 runs, while his overall numbers are 6283 in 207 matches.
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