Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) secured their first win of the season with a thrilling triumph against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Match 6 of the ongoing IPL 2024 in front of a packed M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Monday, March 25.
Chasing 177, former RCB skipper Virat Kohli led the way for his team, scoring a match-winning 77 off 49 balls. Batting for 16 overs, Kohli kept RCB in the game despite the hosts losing wickets at regular intervals.
Harpreet Brar bowled an impressive spell of 2/13 in his four overs and kept it tight from his end. Right at the start of the death overs, Kohli handed a catch to deep point and lost his wicket, which sent RCB into deep trouble.
However, an unbeaten partnership of 48 runs from only 18 balls between Dinesh Karthik (28*) and Mahipal Lomror (17*) took RCB over the finish line with aplomb.
Earlier, Punjab made 176/6, with none of their batters getting to the 50-run mark. Shikhar Dhawan top-scored with his 45, but it was Shashank Singh's fiery eight-ball 21* that propelled PBKS to a fighting total.
While the match is in the history books now, here are three landmarks that were reached during the entertaining IPL 2024 clash.
#3 Virat Kohli is now the Indian with the most T20 catches
Besides his match-winning knock, Virat Kohli was at his usual best in the outfield for the Challengers, taking two catches on night. He first ran from covers to mid-off to bag Jonny Bairstow's catch before grabbing a simple catch at long-off to send back Dhawan.
With this, Kohli has now become the Indian with the most catches taken in T20 cricket history. The former Indian skipper has now completed 174 catches in 375 T20 matches, surpassing Suresh Raina, who took 172 catches during his playing career.
#2 Anuj Rawat is now the Indian keeper with the joint-most catches in an IPL innings
While Virat Kohli took two catches in the outfield, it was Anuj Rawat who bagged the most catches in the match. The 24-year-old, who has been given the wicket-keeping duties in IPL 2024 so far, had a superb outing as he grabbed four catches on Monday.
His four catches have now made Rawat the Indian wicketkeeper with the most catches in an IPL innings. He has joined the likes of MS Dhoni, Naman Ojha, Wriddhiman Saha, Parthiv Patel, and teammate Dinesh Karthik on the list, who have all taken four catches once in an IPL innings.
#1 Kohli now has 100 50+ scores in T20s
It was truly a memorable night for the modern-day master, who attained another fabulous record with his willow. Kohli's knock of 77 not only helped RCB reach the target but also made him the first-ever Indian to score 100 50-plus scores in T20 cricket.
Playing his 361st T20 innings, Kohli has now mustered 12,092 runs, which includes eight hundreds and 92 half-centuries.
The 35-year-old is only the third individual to achieve the feat. Before Kohli, it was Chris Gayle (110) and David Warner (109) who made their way to the top of this elite list.
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