Virat Kohli's dream to lift the Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy as a captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) has shattered after his team was defeated by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by four wickets in their Eliminator encounter at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Monday.
With this defeat, Virat Kohli's road as captain in the cash-rich league has ended as he had earlier announced that he would be stepping down as the leader of RCB after the ongoing edition.
"Firstly workload was the main factor and I did want to be dishonest towards my responsibility. If I cannot give 120% to something, I am not someone who would hold onto something, I am not attached to something like that and that was always very clear in my mind," Kohli had said before the Eliminator encounter.
“About this decision (to quit captaincy), I had spoken to AB in 2019. It’s not new. With the IPL, I was always in a space where I wanted to create a peaceful environment. We had this discussion and then I thought we will give it one more year. A restructuring of the management happened and things were much better in 2020. I felt a little more relaxed in that stage,” Kohli added.
Meanwhile, at the post-match presentation after the defeat against KKR, Kohli spoke about his decision to relinquish RCB captaincy and the road forward.
"I have tried my best to create a culture here where youngsters could come in and play with freedom and belief. It is something I have done with India as well. I have given my best. I don't know how the response has been, but I have given 120% to this franchise every time, which is something I will now do as a player. It is a great time to regroup and restructure for the next three years with people who will take this ahead," he said.
When asked if he will stay with the RCB, Kohli said, "Yes definitely, I don't see myself playing anywhere else. Loyalty matters more to me than worldly pleasures. I would be in the RCB till the last day I play in the IPL."
Virat Kohli's record for RCB as captain:
140 matches
66 won
70 lost
4 no results
1 final appearance in IPL (2016)
4 playoffs
2 wooden spoon finishes (2017 & 2019)
