With this game, the league round of the IPL 2016 has been concluded as the Gujarat Lions lead the lot followed by Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders.
The fact that Royal Challengers had such a gargantuan net-run-rate made them the runners-up of the league round—and it was mainly down to one man: Virat Kohli.
He is going through such a good patch of form that one wonders what he is actually made of. Sometimes, it is doubtful whether he is even from this planet or not. After yet another inspired performance from the captain, RCB are on a roll in what seems like their best chance at winning the tournament.
There were plenty of memorable moments in the final league game of the season that don't fade away, quite like the Axe Signature range of body perfumes. Here are the top 5:
1) Quinton de Kock a special talent
To be absolutely fair, Delhi’s batting line-up has no star players in them. Each and every single of them is a talented youngster who hasn’t yet reached his potential. Quinton de Kock might be the closest thing their batting line up has to a star, but he also falls in the other category.
He continued his fine form against the Royal Challengers as he gave his team a fine start with a steadily built 60 off 52 balls. It provided a good platform for his team-mates, but it didn’t matter for they couldn’t grab it with both their hands.
2) The curious case of Chris Morris
Zaheer Khan has been praised for his clever captaincy in this year’s tournament. However, the one place where he could have used more wits was the usage of Chris Morris. He was the best power hitter in the team and, hence, playing him so deep in the lineup never made much sense.
Only God knows what could have been had he asked to bat at number 3 or 4. However, what we do know is how he did while batting in the lower order.
In another great display of power hitting, he remained unbeaten at 27 while facing only 18 balls in the process.
3) Gayle the bowler
Chris Gayle is known for opening the innings and smacking the ball out of the park with his inhuman body strength. However, what one has forgotten in the meantime is that he is a decent bowler as well.
It seemed as though Virat Kohli himself forgot about it, but was reminded when he was playfully giving the ball to everyone against Gujarat Lions since he had 246 runs’ target to defend.
And it was a good thing since he once again gave Chris Gayle the ball. This time, it was against the Delhi Daredevils. He might have bowled only 2 overs, but gave away a mere 11 runs while taking 2 wickets in the process.
4) Kohli shines when it counts, again
Is there a better big match player in the world right now? Scratch that. Is there a better player in the world right now? How can a player be so brutality consistent? He just defies logic.
Even the great AB de Villers could muster only 6 runs in the last 2 games, but Virat Kohli is made of some other material altogether.
Once again, he finished the game for his team and ended up getting the man of the match—a repetitive combination. He scored 54 while playing 45 balls in what was a steady innings to anchor the ship.
5) Lokesh Rahul for India
As MS Dhoni has retired from Tests, it only seems plausible that someone will need to come and replace him eventually. While Wriddhiman Saha has taken over the mantle, he himself is in his 30s and it would be best suited for India if a younger and a more long-term replacement was used instead.
And KL Rahul is the man they need.
After a superb run in the domestic circuit, a lot was expected from him in the IPL—and he has delivered. In another great game from his bat, he scored 38 runs off just 23 balls to make a stronger statement to the selectors.
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