Virat Kohli’s last game in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as a captain ended in a heartbreaking loss against Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday. Morgan led the KKR side won by 4 wickets in the Eliminator and as a result, RCB got knocked out of the tournament. Before the start of the second phase of IPL 2021, Kohli had announced that IPL 2021 will be his last season as the captain of RCB. Also, he already revealed that he will step down as the skipper of the Indian team in the shortest format of the game after the upcoming T20 World Cup.
My commitment is to this franchise(RCB) till the last day till I play in the IPL: Virat Kohli
“I have tried my best to create a culture here where youngsters could come in and play expressive cricket and belief. It is something I have done with the Indian team level as well. I have given my best. I don’t know how the response has been of that, but I can vouch for the fact that I have given 120% to this franchise every year leading the team, which is something I will now do as a player,” Kohli said at the post-match presentation.
On being asked if he will continue with RCB, Kohli said: “Yes definitely, I don’t see myself playing anywhere else. To me, loyalty matters more than other things which from the worldly point of view seem more important. This franchise has believed in me and as I said my commitment is to this franchise till the last day till I play in the IPL.”
“In terms of his captaincy, there are captains and there are leaders, he is definitely a leader. Just because he won’t have the captaincy tag, it doesn’t make him any less of a leader. So, I just want to thank him for whatever he has contributed for this team and to my growth,” Harshal Patel said after RCB’s defeat to KKR.
Virat Kohli’s captaincy record in the IPL
Virat Kohli has been associated with RCB since 2008. He is the only player who has played all the seasons of IPL with the same franchise. Kohli was appointed captain of RCB in 2011. Since then Kohli has captained the side for nine seasons and has ended without an IPL triumph. Under his tenure, the side has won 66, lost 70, of the 140 matches under him. RCB finished as runner-up in 2016 – the best season finish under his captaincy. The franchise made the playoffs on only three other occasions under Kohli’s captaincy – 2015, 2020, and 2021. So, let’s look at few records held by Virat as a captain of RCB.
1. Virat has scored the most run in IPL history as captain.
2. At the age of 22 years, Kohli holds the record for youngest captain in IPL history.
3. Kohli has led RCB in 140 IPL matches which is the second-highest for any captain in the IPL. He is only behind MS Dhoni in terms of matches played as a captain in the IPL.
4. He also holds the record of scoring most hundreds (5) as a captain in IPL.