Sports

IPL 2025: Kohli and Salt’s Fifties Lead RCB to Seven-Wicket Victory Over KKR

Published

1 year ago

March 24, 2025

Virat Kohli (59 not out) and Phil Salt (56) delivered impressive performances, propelling the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to a commanding seven-wicket victory over the defending champions, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The match, held at Eden Gardens on Saturday, marked the opening game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, with RCB successfully chasing down 175 runs.

Thanks to Krunal Pandya’s stellar bowling figures of 3-29 and Josh Hazlewood’s 2-22, RCB managed to restrict KKR to 174/8. Salt and Kohli set the tone from the outset, forging a 95-run opening partnership. Salt was dismissed just before the halfway point of the chase, but Kohli remained strong, finishing the innings with an unbeaten 59 off 36 balls, allowing RCB to secure victory with 22 balls to spare.

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Salt ignited the chase with an electrifying cover drive off Vaibhav Arora, while Kohli followed with a flick through mid-wicket in the opening over. Salt continued the onslaught by executing a beautiful cover drive off Spencer Johnson and then lofting Arora over mid-on for a boundary and a six in successive deliveries.

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Kohli struck Arora with a four, followed by Salt’s upper-cut for six to finish the third over. The pair maintained the momentum, with Salt using his wrists to score two fours and a six against Varun Chakaravarthy, pulling him over deep square-leg for another boundary, contributing 21 runs in the fourth over alone.

Kohli created a highlight moment, lofting Johnson for two consecutive sixes over the ground, followed by Salt guiding a shot through backward point for four. After Kohli’s catch was dropped by deep cover, he showcased his power with a slog sweep off Chakaravarthy for six before Salt reached his fifty in just 25 balls.

However, Chakaravarthy eventually claimed Salt’s wicket as he sought a leg-break, but his outside edge was caught by the short third man. Shortly thereafter, Devdutt Padikkal fell to Narine at deep mid-wicket. Nonetheless, Kohli pressed on, achieving his 56th IPL fifty in 30 balls with a stunning drive off Harshit Rana in the 13th over.

Captain Rajat Patidar displayed confidence, lofting Narine for a six and then executing a series of boundaries against Rana, including lofting, flicking, and late-cutting. Although Patidar was dismissed at deep mid-wicket off Arora, Liam Livingstone completed the chase with two boundaries—one four and one six—before slamming the winning run past mid-on, sealing a significant victory for RCB.

Brief scores:

Kolkata Knight Riders: 174/8 in 20 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 56, Sunil Narine 44; Krunal Pandya 3-29, Josh Hazlewood 2-22) lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 177/3 in 16.2 overs (Virat Kohli 59 not out, Phil Salt 56; Sunil Narine 1-27, Vaibhav Arora 1-42) by seven wickets

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Sports

Tim David Faces Criticism for Obscene Celebration against Mumbai Indians

Published

7 days ago

May 11, 2026

Namma Kudla

IPL 2026 : In a dramatic IPL 2026 clash, Royal Challengers Bengaluru player Tim David has landed in controversy for allegedly making an obscene gesture after his team’s thrilling win against Mumbai Indians.

The incident took place during the 54th match of the Indian Premier League in Raipur. Batting first, Mumbai Indians scored 167 runs in 20 overs and set a competitive target for RCB.

While chasing the target, Royal Challengers Bengaluru needed 15 runs in the final over. The match went down to the last ball, where RCB required two runs for victory. Rasikh Dar helped the team secure a thrilling win in the final delivery.

Soon after the victory, Tim David, who was in the dugout, was seen allegedly showing his middle finger towards the Mumbai Indians camp during the celebrations. The video of the incident quickly went viral on social media and triggered criticism from cricket fans.

Reports suggest that match officials could take disciplinary action against the Australian batter. Under the ICC Code of Conduct, obscene or offensive gestures are considered a serious offence.

Such behaviour usually falls under Level 1 or Level 2 breaches of the ICC rules. Players found guilty can face fines ranging from 50 percent to 100 percent of their match fees. Demerit points may also be added to their disciplinary record. Repeated offences can even lead to suspension from matches.

Similar incidents have happened in the past as well. In 2012, Virat Kohli was fined 50 percent of his match fee for showing the middle finger to spectators during a match in Sydney.

Cricket is widely known as a “gentleman’s game,” and players are expected to maintain discipline and respect on the field. Tim David’s celebration has now sparked debate among fans and experts about sportsmanship in modern cricket.

Sports

Pooran Super over Call Sparks Criticism

Published

3 weeks ago

April 27, 2026

Namma Kudla

Sports: Lucknow Super Giants’ captain Rishabh Pant faced criticism after a failed Super Over decision against Kolkata Knight Riders. LSG sent Nicholas Pooran and Aiden Markram to bat, with Pooran on strike against Sunil Narine.

Pooran was bowled on the first ball, leading to heavy criticism from fans. Many questioned the decision, especially because Narine had earlier troubled Pooran in a past Super Over.

LSG coach Justin Langer defended the move. He said the team trusted Pooran as he has faced Narine many times and has a strong record against him. He added that teams must back their best players even in difficult moments.

Langer also said Pooran is one of the best T20 players in recent years but is currently low on confidence. He assured that the team is working hard to help him regain form

Despite being at the bottom of the table, LSG remains hopeful. Langer said the team will use the break to improve and aim to win their remaining matches.

Sports

King Kohli Creates Two Records in One Match

Published

3 weeks ago

April 25, 2026

Namma Kudla

Bengaluru: Virat Kohli made history in a match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium against Gujarat Titans. He achieved two big records in a single game.

Kohli became the first player in Indian Premier League history to hit 800 boundaries. He now has 807 fours. Shikhar Dhawan is second with 768, followed by David Warner and Rohit Sharma.

He also became the third player to hit 300 sixes in IPL. He reached this mark with his first six in the match. Chris Gayle leads with 357 sixes, while Rohit Sharma has 310.