RCB's IPL Title Wait Continues After Eliminator Loss

On Wednesday, Virat Kohli was let down by the slog sweep. In the IPL 2024, the shot had shown to be his greatest asset while facing the spinners, but Yuzvendra Chahal had another move up his sleeve.

Kohli simply didn't get enough elevation into the shot as it spun away. His removal for 33 in the eighth over was a severe blow, and RCB never fully bounced back to give the innings impetus.

Despite their early promise, Rajat Patidar and Mahipal Lomror were unable to convert it as RCB could only muster 172. Although the Rajasthan Royals bowlers, particularly Ravichandran Ashwin and Avesh Khan, deserve recognition as well, RCB realized early on that they would struggle to hold a little total.

Kohli broke away from his normal risk-averse batting style this season, taking more chances in an effort to increase his strike-rate. His six-hitting total more than quadrupled from the previous season (16), as he amassed 741 runs in 15 innings in the IPL 2024, clearing the ropes 38 times.

However, it wasn't enough for RCB to win the game. The writing was on the wall for RCB as Kohli discovered how difficult the conditions were and the openers failed. The fantastic run that RCB had in the latter half of their season had been made possible by Kohli's strong beginnings. After laying the groundwork, it enabled the batters down the order to thrive.

All these estimates went awry in the Eliminator of Ahmeabad.

Many people have blamed Kohli's poor playoff performance for RCB's inability to win the IPL championship. Since the team's inception in 2011, the playoffs have been reached seven times. But only in 2011 did they compete in the championship game. Prior to that, RCB had participated in the summit match in 2009, where the Deccan Chargers had defeated them, when the semi-finals were used to choose the finalists.

Despite the other players' participation, the team's success has revolved around Kohli, who has only two half-centuries in 12 innings. Even if players like Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers had been around for a number of seasons, the success of RCB has always revolved around Kohli over the years. The batting order has collapsed at critical junctures as a result of Kohli's mistake.

On Wednesday, the disappointment was clearly visible on Kohli's face. Following the devastating loss, RCB posted a video on social media that described the scenes in the dressing room.

It encapsulated Kohli's dejected demeanor after the defeat as he fiddled with his phone in the dugout. "We severely underperformed in the first part of the season, to be honest. As cricket players, we were unable to meet our own expectations. We then began to express ourselves and played for our own dignity. Our self-assurance returned. The manner he qualified and turned things around was very unique, according to Kohli.

RCB and Kohli are still without a title.

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