“Bhaiya, aapko nahin bol raha hoon” - Kumar Kartikeya reveals story behind moment with Virat Kohli from RR vs RCB IPL 2025 match

Rajasthan Royals (RR) pacer Kumar Kartikeya revealed the story behind his moment with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star batter Virat Kohli during their IPL 2025 game. The two teams played each other on Sunday, April 13, with RCB emerging victorious by nine wickets in the end.

Kumar Kartikeya dismissed RCB opener Phil Salt, after which he was snapped giving Virat Kohli a handshake. The pacer then revealed the story behind the same in a video posted by RR on their official Instagram handle.

"Actual mai jab unhone (Salt) chakka mara toh Virat bhai ne chillake 'come on' bola toh maine unko dekha unhone mereko dekha. Maine uss time pe kuch nahi bola phir jab maine out kiya toh maine hath upar karke 'come on' bola toh unhone peeche mudke dekha.

"Toh maine kaha bhaiya, aapko nahi bol raha hoon. Tab unhone aake mera hath milaya ke theek hai well bowled (Actually when Salt hit me for a six Virat bhai shouted 'come on' and we looked at each other. I did not tell anything at that time. Then when I dismissed Salt I raised my hands and said 'come on'. He turned back and looked at me. Then I told him I did not tell that to him. Then he came to me, gave me a hand shake and told me well bowled)," he said.

RCB registered their fourth win of the season from six games after beating RR in Jaipur. They now head back home to play Punjab Kings in Bengaluru on Friday, April 18.

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A century of half-centuries for Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli played a key role once again in RCB's win over Rajasthan. He scored an unbeaten half-century as they chased down 174 runs with ease in just 17.3 overs, with nine wickets remaining.

Kohli was unbeaten on 62 off 45 balls, hitting four boundaries and two sixes at a strike-rate of 137.78. This was his third fifty of IPL 2025, having now scored 248 runs from six games at an average of 62 and a strike-rate of 143.35.

However, it was also Virat Kohli's 100th T20 fifty overall. The star batter now has 100 fifties from 405 matches in T20 cricket to go with nine hunreds.