Royal Challengers Bangalore suffered a devastating loss of six wickets to the Gujarat Titans on Sunday, May 21, which ultimately led to their elimination from the IPL 2023 playoffs. Despite an outstanding century by Virat Kohli, who played a crucial role in RCB’s total of 197 runs in 20 overs, the home team was left disheartened once again as a result of Shubman Gill‘s exceptional performance at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Significantly, towards the conclusion of the match, Kohli was visibly emotional, as evidenced by him burying his head under his cap. As Gujarat Titans were closing in on the target, the 34-year-old was observed throwing a water bottle in the dugout. However, amidst these actions, Kohli, often referred to as the ‘King’, showed his admiration for Shubman Gill, who achieved his second consecutive century in the lucrative league. Following the match, Kohli embraced Gill and expressed gratitude to the crowd for their unwavering support throughout the season.
Virat Kohli lauds Shubman Gill
On Sunday evening, the Mumbai Indians, a team with five championships under their belt, secured an eight-wicket victory over the Sunrisers Hyderabad, bringing them closer to the playoffs. However, the outcome of their fate relied on the result of the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s match, so the Rohit Sharma-led team had to patiently await the outcome. Fortunately, to their great satisfaction, Gujarat Titans managed to defeat Bangalore, enabling Mumbai to secure a spot in the playoffs.
IPL 2023 deserved this kind of finish before the playoffs. What a tournament this has been & it's still not over yet.
Virat Kohli will be hurt no doubt knowing RCB couldn't make to the playoffs. But deep down he knows how special Shubman Gill was tonight. Hence, the claps. pic.twitter.com/ZPqxmxkSY7
— Rahul Sharma (@CricFnatic) May 21, 2023
Obviously as a sportsman Kohli sees the positive side of it and the scum that claim to be fans are abusing pic.twitter.com/DcJUMCud4R
— Gajala – CEO, Sonic Solutions (@Hramblings) May 21, 2023
In the meantime, during their match against Hyderabad, Mumbai accomplished an impressive feat by successfully chasing down a target of 201 runs in a mere 18 overs. The Australian cricketer Cameron Green caused significant damage, scoring an unbeaten century of 100 runs off 47 deliveries, while captain Rohit Sharma contributed 56 runs off 37 deliveries. Their outstanding performances laid the groundwork for Mumbai’s remarkable victory at Wankhede Stadium.
Following their recent match, the Mumbai Indians will embark on a journey to Chennai for their upcoming clash against the Lucknow Super Giants in the Eliminator, scheduled for May 24. The outcome of this match will determine which team advances to Qualifier 2, while the losing team will be eliminated from the tournament.
