Pictures of teary-eyed Siraj, dejected Kohli capture pain of yet another RCB heartbreak 

Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) dream of winning the Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy remained unfulfilled as they were knocked out of the 2023 edition on Sunday, May 21.

Following their six-wicket defeat to Gujarat Titans (GT) in the last league match of IPL 2023, RCB players appeared dejected, with Virat Kohli and Mohammed Siraj, two of their star performers, finding it hard to control their emotions.

After Mumbai Indians (MI) beat SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) by eight wickets in their last league match, RCB needed to defeat GT at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru to confirm their playoffs berth.

A record-breaking seventh IPL ton by Kohli, and second in a row, gave Bangalore hope. The opener hammered 101* off 61 balls as RCB posted 197/5, batting first. Shubman Gill’s ton (104* off 52), however, overpowered Kohli’s effort as Bangalore were knocked out of IPL 2023.

Virat Kohli left the field towards the end of the match after hurting his leg while taking a catch. Pic: JioCinema

As RCB hurtled towards defeat, a disconsolate Kohli was seen in the dugout, trying to process how his best efforts could not result in a much-needed win for the team.

Another image emerged in which a teary-eyed Siraj was seen lying on the ground.

Kohli and Siraj were two of the standout performers for Bangalore in IPL 2023.

Mohammed Siraj after Bangalore’s loss to Gujarat. (Pic: JioCinema)

While the former scored 639 runs at a strike rate of 139.82, the latter claimed 19 scalps at an average of 19.78.

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“We were a little bit off in one or two areas” - RCB skipper Faf du Plessis

Reflecting on Bangalore’s loss, skipper Faf du Plessis admitted that they were not at their best in a couple of areas, and the opposition capitalized on the same.

He commented:

"Obviously very disappointed. You get to the last game of the campaign, you want to make sure you get through. But we played a very strong team tonight, Shubman Gill played an amazing innings to get a hundred. We were a little bit off in one or two areas and when you are playing a team like this, they will capitalize on it.”

Admitting that the conditions were difficult, with rain delaying the match, Du Plessis added that Gill’s knock made the difference.

He stated:

"The conditions were really wet in the second innings but I think it was also wet in the first innings with a lot of moisture from the rain. So we changed the ball three times, there wasn't a lot of grip in the second innings. But I thought 195 was a good score, Virat played an unbelievable knock to give us a chance, but we needed that wicket of Shubman to feel like we were really in the game."

Du Plessis is the current Orange Cap holder with 730 runs at an average of 56.15 and a strike rate of 153.68.