Picture of dejected Virat Kohli removing bail like he did after 2023 WC final heartbreak goes viral following RCB's defeat in IPL 2024 Eliminator

A picture of Virat Kohli removing a bail from the stumps after Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) loss to Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the IPL 2024 Eliminator at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad has gone viral on social media. Kohli performed a similar act after India had gone down to Australia at the same venue in the 2023 ODI World Cup final.

RCB went down to RR by four wickets in the IPL 2024 Eliminator in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, May 22, to be knocked out of the tournament. Sent into bat by Rajasthan, Bengaluru were held to 172-8. RR chased down the total in 19 overs to book their place in Qualifier 2.

Following Royal Challengers Bengaluru's defeat in the knockout match, an image of a dejected Kohli dropping one of the bails, similar to what he did after Team India's loss in the 2023 World Cup final, went viral on social media.

Speaking of the IPL 2024 Eliminator, Royal Challengers Bengaluru lost skipper du Faf du Plessis for 17 off 14 after they were asked to bat first.

Kohli got a start but fell for 33 off 24, slog-sweeping Yuzvendra Chahal to deep midwicket. The RCB opener struck three fours and a six.

Bengaluru could not recover from the big setbacks and kept losing crucial wickets.

Seasoned RR off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (2-19) dismissed Cameron Green (27 off 21) and Glenn Maxwell (0) off consecutive deliveries. Rajat Patidar (34 off 22) and Mahipal Lomror (32 off 17) played handy knocks to ensure that RCB crossed 170.

In the chase, Yashasvi Jaiswal top-scored with RR for 45 off 30, while Riyan Parag (36 off 26) and Shimron Hetmyer (26 off 14) also made crucial contributions. Rovman Powell (16* off 8) put the finishing touches.

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Virat Kohli is the leading run-getter in IPL 2024

While RCB failed to make it to Qualifier 2 of IPL 2024, Kohli exited the tournament as the leading run-getter. He had a fantastic campaign, hammering 741 runs in 15 matches at an average of 61.75 and a strike rate of 154.70.

The 35-year-old notched up five half-centuries and one hundred in IPL 2024. On Wednesday, he created another record in the Eliminator against Rajasthan Royals, becoming the first batter to score 8,000 runs in the Indian T20 league.

Incidentally, the former RCB skipper was also the leading run-getter in the 2023 ODI World Cup, where India finished runners-up. He slammed 765 runs in 11 innings at an average of 95.62 and a strike rate of 90.32.