NEW DELHI:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
(RCB) stalwart
Virat Kohli
has voiced his excitement about the forthcoming showdown against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Friday in the Indian Premier League (IPL) season opener, expressing eagerness to reconnect with cricketing legend MS Dhoni.
Kohli, renowned as the highest run-getter in IPL history, shared his sentiments in a recent episode of RCB’s Bold Diaries, highlighting the significance of the impending encounter against CSK.
With a staggering record of 7263 runs in 237 matches and 229 innings, including seven centuries and 50 fifties, Kohli’s stature as a formidable force in the tournament is unparalleled.
“Playing against Chennai is obviously always a special occasion, a big game. You know, the
Southern Derby
as they call it. Yeah, it’s nice to play in front of very passionate Chennai fans and yeah, good to catch up with MS Dhoni, it’s been a while,” Kohli remarked, underlining the significance of facing CSK and the anticipation of meeting Dhoni once again.
Reflecting on his stellar performance in the previous season, Kohli recounted his role as the fourth-highest run-scorer, amassing an impressive tally of 639 runs at an average of 53.25 and a formidable strike rate of 139.82. Despite his individual brilliance, RCB fell short of securing a playoff berth, intensifying the team’s determination for redemption in the upcoming campaign.
As the
IPL 2024
season prepares for its grand inauguration on Friday, defending champions CSK are poised to clash with RCB in a highly anticipated Southern derby at the iconic MA Chidambaram Stadium.
With cricket aficionados eagerly awaiting the commencement of yet another thrilling IPL extravaganza, the prospect of witnessing the battle between these two cricketing giants has ignited fervent anticipation among fans worldwide.
RCB squad: Faf du Plessis (C), Glenn Maxwell, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, Suyash Prabhudessai, Will Jacks, Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Mayank Dagar, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma, Rajan Kumar, Cameron Green, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Tom Curran, Lockie Ferguson, Swapnil Singh and Saurav Chauhan.
(With inputs from ANI)