Virat Kohli's 3 best knocks vs KKR in IPL

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) senior batter Virat Kohli will be in focus again when his side takes on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Match 36 of IPL 2024 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday, April 21.

While RCB are languishing in last position in the points table, Kohli has stood out for the franchise yet again, making a big impression with his consistency with the willow.

The 35-year-old is the leading run-getter in the tournament. In seven innings, he has 361 runs at an average of 72.20 and a strike rate of 147.35. The right-hander has struck one hundred and two fifties.

He has scored 944 runs in 30 innings against Kolkata Knight Riders at an average of 39.33 and a strike rate of 130.92, with one hundred and six fifties. Ahead of the KKR vs RCB clash at the Eden Gardens on Sunday, we revisit Kohli's three best knocks against the Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League.

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#3 (84 off 49) - IPL 2019, Bengaluru

Kohli hammered 84 off only 49 against Kolkata Knight Riders at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru during the IPL 2019 edition. The wonderful knock featured nine fours and two sixes.

RCB batted first in the game and put up 205-3. The-then Bengaluru skipper featured in a second-wicket stand of 108 with AB de Villiers (63 off 32). Kohli got his innings underway with back-to-back fours off Prasidh Krishna in the first over.

In the fourth over, the RCB batter went after Lockie Ferguson and slammed him for three fours. He first whipped a leg-side delivery to the boundary. The second four came via a drive that beat backward point and third man. Kohli then pulled off a classic on-drive for four.

The Bengaluru opener reached his fifty via a late cut off Piyush Chawla for four. Kohli's first six came when he launched a length ball from Nitish Rana over long-on in the 15th over. In the next over, he pulled one from Ferguson over cow corner for his second maximum.

Kohli's fine knock ended when he chipped a return catch to Kuldeep Yadav off a tossed-up delivery. The innings went in vain, though, as Kolkata Knight Riders chased down 206 in 19.1 overs to win by five wickets.

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#2 (75* off 51) - IPL 2016, Kolkata

Virat Kohli has scored 944 runs in 30 innings against KKR. (Pic: BCCI/ iplt20.com)

Kohli scored a sublime 75* off 51 in an IPL 2016 clash against KKR at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The right-handed batter struck five fours and three sixes in his unbeaten knock, guiding RCB's chase of 184.

Batting first, KKR put up a competitive 183-5 as Gautam Gambhir and Manish Pandey struck fifties, while Andre Russell slammed 39* in 19. In the chase, RCB got home in 18.4 overs, with nine wickets in hand, as Kohli and Chris Gayle (49 off 31) added 71 for the first wicket, while Kohli and De Villiers (59* off 31) featured in an unbroken second-wicket stand of 115.

Kohli hit his first boundary in the first over of the chase by slapping a short ball from Russell to the deep backward square leg boundary. On the last ball of the fourth over, he went down the pitch to Morne Morkel and lofted a length ball over cover for a maximum.

The RCB batter was content rotating the strike for the next few overs even as De Villiers struck a few big ones at the other end. In the 14th over, he took on leg-spinner Chawla and smashed a googly for a maximum over long-on. Kohli reached his fifty with a single off Shakib Al Hasan to sweeper cover.

His third six came at the start of the 19th over when he whipped a full ball from Russell over the midwicket boundary. De Villiers brought up the winning runs in the same over with a paddle past short fine leg for four.

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#1 (100 off 58) - IPL 2019, Kolkata

Kohli hammered a brilliant hundred against KKR in Match 35 of IPL 2019 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

The RCB batter struck nine fours and four sixes in his 100 off 58 balls. Courtesy of his brilliance, aided by Moeen Ali's 28-ball 66, Royal Challengers Bengaluru put up 213-4, batting first.

Kohli got off to a slow start. His first four came in the fourth over when he pulled Narine to deep midwicket. In the last over of the powerplay, he got a leading edge off Prasidh, and the ball went to the boundary through the vacant slip cordon. After six overs, Kohli was on 19 off 17.

He got some momentum into his innings with two fours off Kuldeep in the eighth over.

After drilling a loopy delivery down the ground, he then guided a flighted delivery through the sweeper region. In the 11th over, Kohli launched a short ball from Russell over deep square leg for a maximum.

The RCB batter reached his fifty by driving a full ball from Prasidh to mid-off for a single. He went after Harry Gurney in the 17th over and smacked him for two fours and a six. Another six followed off a short ball from Narine in the next over.

Kohli raced past the 90s by hammering Prasidh for consecutive fours in the 19th over. He reached three figures off the penultimate delivery of the innings by whipping Gurney through midwicket for a boundary. The batter was dismissed off the last ball, miscuing a big hit to deep midwicket.

Chasing 214, KKR responded with 203-5 as Nitish Rana smashed 85* off 46, while Russell whacked 65 off 25. Kolkata Knight Riders went down fighting by 10 runs, but Kohli was undoubtedly the hero of the match.