Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Virat Kohli opened his Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 account on a sluggish note as he was dismissed for 21 runs off 20 deliveries in the inaugural fixture against Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Kohli who started his inning slowly was stunned at his own dismissal after a stunning relay catch from Ajinkya Rahane and Rachin Ravindra sent him packing.
The incident took place in the 12th over when CSK fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman bowled a back-of-a-length delivery angling across the stumps as Kohli shuffled inward to pull it away. But he failed to produce enough power on the shot as Rahane slides to take the catch near the boundary rope and threw it towards to complete it.
Watch the incredible relay catch here:
Brilliant relay catch 👌
Timber strike 🎯Mustafizur Rahman is making merry & so are @ChennaiIPL 🙌
Head to @JioCinema and @StarSportsIndia to watch the match LIVE
Follow the match ▶️ https://t.co/4j6FaLF15Y #TATAIPL | #CSKvRCB | @ChennaiIPL | @ajinkyarahane88 pic.twitter.com/0GKADcZleM
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 22, 2024
Kohli, however, became the first Indian batter to score 12,000 runs in T20s. He is currently the sixth-highest run scorer in the T20s and holds an average of 41.21 which is the best among the top 10 leading run scorers in the shortest format of the game. The former India captain has a decent strike rate of 133.42 and the highest score of an unbeaten 122.
He is making his first appearance on the cricket field since the T20 series against Afghanistan in January 2024. He missed out on the Test series against England due to the birth of his second child. The IPL will be crucial for the chase master in the preparation for the T20 World Cup 2024.
The 35-year-old is the leading run scorer in the IPL. He is also the only batter in the lucrative tournament to accumulate more than 7000 runs. He has recorded seven centuries and 50 half-centuries in the format at an average of 37.24 and with the highest score of 113 runs.
