The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2023) is currently taking place, with the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) making a strong start towards the trophy with a win over record champions Mumbai Indians in their first match of the competition. The opening pair of Virat Kohli and captain Faf du Plessis defeated Mumbai and got the fans buzzing in what promises to be an exciting season.
Despite having strong and talented players over the last 15 seasons, RCB have been unable to win the coveted trophy. When skipper, Kohli was unable to secure a win for RCB. He gave up the captaincy ahead of IPL 2022, with Faf du Plessis being elected as the new captain of the team. Kohli recently joked with RCB's famous Mr Nags, stating that their team could win a trophy for social media.
For context, RCB were at par with world-renowned football superhouses Liverpool and Real Madrid, with 197 million social interactions since May 2022!
"Our team's social media performance is the best. If you bring the trophy in social media, there is no one in RCB's competition. We will win in just two weeks. No. 14 No, we will win only in four to five matches," Kohli said in a conversation with Nags.
In IPL 2023, RCB have built a strong team. They are without Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood, who has been ruled out for the first 7 matches. In their last match against MI, RCB chased 172 runs and won convincingly.
Kohli played an unbeaten inning of 82 runs in 49 balls with 6 fours and 5 sixes, while Captain du Plessis scored 73 runs in 43 balls with 5 fours and 6 sixes. The opening partnership of 148 runs between Kohli and du Plessis was crucial to RCB's victory, as they scored 172 runs for two wickets in 16.2 overs, winning the match by eight wickets.
RCB's fans are hoping for Kohli's form to continue throughout the season and finally bring the team its first title.
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