Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), who are gunning for their maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) glory, began their 16th edition of the cash-rich tournament in resounding fashion. The Red Army trounced five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) and inflicted a horrendous eight-wicket loss on Rohit Sharma's men on April 2 (Sunday) at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Chasing a competitive target of 172 runs, the Red Army rode on former skipper Virat Kohli's stylish knock of 82 not out off 49 balls and current captain Faf du Plessis' attractive innings of 73 runs off 43 balls to chase down the target in just 16.2 overs with 22 balls to spare.
Interestingly, the only other time Kohli began an IPL season with a half-century was in 2016, an edition in which he took batting to another level. The maverick batter scored 973 runs with the help of four centuries in IPL 2016.
Former RCB batter Chris Gayle believes that Kohli can replicate the season he had in 2016 in the ongoing cash-rich edition.
"I am sure (signs are there), there is no pressure on Virat this year. We talked about it before the tournament. Me and AB. AB said 'Hey, he is hungry, there is no pressure'. We have seen the Virat that we saw in 2016 and this could be trouble for bowlers," Gayle told Jio Cinema.
"This can be very interesting to see how he carries on. 82 not out, a fantastic start. With Faf doing well, it's going to be carnage for the bowlers at the other end.
"It (crowd support) will help a lot. The fans have a big part to play in this as well. They haven't had a home game in 3 years. You want to prove something to the fans. This will propel a player like Virat to do well for their fans. We saw them cheering all night for the team. I am happy," he added.
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