Virat Kohli Surpasses ‘Mr IPL’ Suresh Raina to Set T20 Record

During Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) IPL match against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, Virat Kohli achieved a remarkable feat. Kohli took his 173rd catch in T20 cricket, surpassing Suresh Raina to become the Indian player with the most catches in this format.

Virat Kohli in action in IPL 2024

The milestone catch came when Kohli dismissed Jonny Bairstow. In the third over of the match, Mohammed Siraj bowled a good length ball angling in on middle and off. Bairstow attempted to hit it over mid-off but ended up slicing it straight to mid-wicket. Kohli, who ran in from cover despite Glenn Maxwell being stationed at mid-off, completed the catch.

The list of Indian players with the most catches in T20s now stands as follows:

1. Virat Kohli – 173 catches

2. Suresh Raina – 172 catches

3. Rohit Sharma – 167 catches

4. Manish Pandey – 146 catches

5. Suryakumar Yadav – 136 catches

Earlier, RCB captain Faf du Plessis won the toss and elected to bowl first against PBKS, led by Shikhar Dhawan. RCB, having lost their tournament opener to Chennai Super Kings, were keen to secure their first win, especially considering the trend of home teams winning all matches in IPL 2024 so far.

After winning the toss, Du Plessis stated that RCB’s playing eleven remained unchanged, much to the delight of their fans. Reflecting on their previous match, du Plessis emphasized the importance of not losing clusters of wickets early in the game, a crucial area for improvement.

PBKS, on the other hand, entered the match after a victory over Delhi Capitals and were also unchanged in their playing eleven. Captain Shikhar Dhawan expressed confidence in their abilities, stating the team needed to keep improving with each game.

Jai

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