'Can't figure out who is captain...': Ex-India star showers praise on Virat Kohli's leadership in RCB's clash against PBKS

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) became the first side in IPL 2025 to secure a spot in the final as they defeated the Punjab Kings (PBKS) comfortably by eight wickets in the first qualifier on Thursday. It was a fantastic all-round performance from the Bengaluru-based franchise who bundled out PBKS for just 101 runs before chasing down the modest target in just 10 overs.

The likes of Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood and Phil Salt were RCB's top performers during the match. While both Suyash and Hazlewood took three wickets each to break the backbone of PBKS' batting order, Salt played a valiant knock of 56 to guide RCB to the 102-run target.

This will be RCB's first final appearance in nine years

Under the leadership of Rajat Patidar, RCB made their first IPL final in nine years and will now be meeting the winner of the second qualifier where PBKS will be facing either the Gujarat Titans or Mumbai Indians.

Though Virat Kohli didn't have a great night as he wasn't able to contribute much during RCB's chase and got dismissed after scoring just 12 runs, he was praised a lot by former India cricketer Suresh Raina for showcasing his leadership skills by giving valuable inputs to bowlers during the match despite not even having the captaincy duties.

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"This is what happens when you finish in the top two, it has been 18 years for Kohli. He was suggesting the bowlers to bowl a bit fuller after Bhuvi's over. Rajat Patidar has also captained well. I think a brand new IPL winner is loading," Raina said on Star Sports.

"He has worked hard for 18 years, and this is the 18th season of the IPL. RCB fans want to see the IPL trophy at the Chinnaswamy. I can’t figure out who is the captain today," he added.

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Kohli has once again had a stellar IPL campaign with the bat and is currently the side's top-scorer in the ongoing season with 614 runs under his name in 14 matches. He is also the fifth-highest run-getter of the tournament and will be looking to contriubute well in the final and take the Bengaluru-based franchise to their first-ever IPL title. The final will take place on June 3 at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad.