"We want Virat Kohli as permanent captain of RCB" - Fans call for change as RCB win 2 matches on the trot under Kohli's leadership

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) registered their second consecutive IPL 2023 win under Virat Kohli's leadership on Sunday, April 23. They beat the Rajasthan Royals (RR) narrowly by seven runs in a high-scoring contest at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

RCB's regular captain Faf du Plessis suffered a minor injury during their match against CSK last week. He has played as an impact substitute player in the last two games, and has only come in to bat while not taking the field.

In Du Plessis' absence, the team management has handed over the reins to Virat Kohli, who relinquished the team's captaincy after IPL 2021.

Kohli has not shown any signs of rust, leading the team well in the last two matches. Against the Rajasthan Royals, he maneuvered his side well and managed to defend a target of 190 despite the small boundaries at the venue.

Kohli did not panic when RR's top-order batters Devdutt Padikkal (52) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (47) were going strong with their 98-run partnership. He kept throwing challenges at the duo until David Willey separated them in the 12th over.

Virat Kohli then used Harshal Patel and Wanindu Hasaranga to derail RR's momentum further. The visiting side could not get back on track after that, and could only reach 182/6 in the end.

Naturally, RCB's fans are quite happy to witness the consistent performances from the team under Virat Kohli's leadership. They have been expressing their reactions via Twitter, and here are some of the best ones:

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"The counter-attack from Maxi and Faf was even better than the Chennai game" - Virat Kohli

Speaking at the post-match presentation, winning captain Virat Kohli heaped praise on Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell for their sensational partnership in the first innings. Du Plessis scored 62 runs off 39 balls while Maxwell compiled 77 off 44.

"To be honest, we had that discussion during the toss," Kohli said. "The pitch looked dry and I mentioned that it will slow down with the guys having 10 overs under lights which is very difficult. The advantage was that the ball got scuffed up but with the impact player rule, the game is always on till the end. That's why we've had so many close games."

"The counter-attack from Maxi and Faf was even better than the Chennai game, it was a better surface that day," he added. "Maxi took the game away in just four overs. That was one of the best counter-attacking partnerships I have seen. We thought 160 might be enough but the way they batted helped us to 190 and put us in a commanding position."

RCB will next face KKR on April 26, at the same venue.