IPL 2021: “He is definitely a leader” - Harshal Patel lauds Virat Kohli’s contribution as RCB captain

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) pacer Harshal Patel has hailed Virat Kohli's contribution as captain of the franchise over the years. According to Patel, Kohli is not just a captain, but a leader in the truest sense.

Kohli's tenure as RCB captain came to an end on Monday following the team's four-wicket loss to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL 2021 Eliminator in Sharjah. The 32-year-old had confirmed earlier that he would be stepping down as RCB captain after the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 season.

Praising Kohli's captaincy, Harshal Patel said the legendary cricketer will remain an inspiration for RCB even though he will no longer be the captain.

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“Virat gives bowlers their space, lets you execute your plans. Grateful to him. I have learnt a lot playing with him since 2012. In terms of his captaincy, there are captains, and there are leaders. He is definitely a leader. Just because he won’t have the tag of captaincy anymore, it doesn’t make him any less of a leader,” Patel said at a post-match conference.

The Purple Cap holder (32 wickets) added that the franchise would celebrate Kohli's contribution as RCB captain, putting aside the disappointment of Monday's loss.

“We are going to celebrate his contributions. It would have been nicer to celebrate that with a trophy in our hands. But that was not meant to be. (Nevertheless) his contribution has been immense; we are definitely going to celebrate that,” the RCB pacer added.

On a personal level, with some luck, Patel could have broken Dwayne Bravo's record for most wickets (32) in an IPL season. In the 17th over of the match, he induced a false shot from Sunil Narine, but Devdutt Padikkal spilled a tough catch.

Asked if he regretted missing out on the record, Harshal Patel responded that it didn't matter to him. He was only concerned with trying to win the game for RCB.

“I don't look at records. But in the context of the game, it would have been nice if he (Padikkal) had taken the catch. Maybe we could have gone a little closer. In terms of the game, that was probably an important wicket. In terms of records, it doesn’t matter much to me,” the pacer, who represents Haryana in domestic cricket, stated.

Harshal Patel ended his IPL 2021 campaign with a rich haul of 32 wickets in 15 games at a strike rate of 10.56 and an economy of 8.14.

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"The way we were playing, we should have been in top 2" - Harshal Patel

RCB dominated the India leg of IPL 2021. They were unbeaten in their first four matches, and had five wins in their first seven games. The UAE leg began in disastrous fashion for RCB, though, as they were rolled over for 92 by KKR.

Although they recovered to make the playoffs, their poor run rate meant they could not finish in the top 2. As a result they had to play the Eliminator. Reflecting on RCB's IPL 2021 season, Harshal Patel opined:

“The way we were playing, we should have been in top 2. But it's a game of small margins. In hindsight, you feel like you could have done a lot of things differently. At the end of the day, once the top four teams qualify, they are all on the same line."

"Who plays better on that particular day matters. Obviously, we are all very disappointed in the way we finished. But we are also very proud of the way we played cricket in the league stage.”

Harshal Patel claimed 2 for 19 in four overs in the Eliminator against KKR. However, KKR chased down their target of 139 runs with two deliveries to spare.