Captain Kohli bows out
Kohli will no more be the captain at Royal Challengers Bangalore. He made the announcement midway through the tournament, explaining he needed to lighten his workload amidst all the pressures as a batter and as an India captain in two formats.
The team rallied under him and made up for an insipid start to embark on an inspiring run, winning four out of five towards the back end of the group stage to make it to the playoffs in the third spot.
When K. S. Bharat hit the winning six on the last delivery of the contest against Delhi Capitals on October 8, it seemed the Royal Challengers could well take home the Cup.
But it wasn’t to be, Sunil Narine hypnotising the batters in Sharjah as Kolkata Knight Riders, in the middle of a similar resurgence of its own, pipped it in a close contest in the Eliminator.