3 best Virat Kohli knocks as RCB captain

Virat Kohli announced on Sunday that he will be stepping down as the IPL captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the end of IPL 2021. While he still intends to stay on with the franchise right up until the end of his IPL career, his decision to leave the captaincy role will mark the end of an era.

Kohli has led the RCB in 132 matches and this year is his final chance to win the IPL trophy that has eluded him so far as captain; he is yet to win the trophy as a player too.

Virat Kohli has played some stunning, swashbuckling knocks over the years, gallantly leading the RCB from the front. On that note, let's take a look at three of Kohli's best captain's knocks in the IPL.

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Virat Kohli's 113 vs Kings XI Punjab (IPL 2016)

Virat Kohli's 113 against the Kings XI remains his highest IPL score to date (Image: IPL)

The IPL 2016 was a very special one for Virat Kohli as he finished as the tournament's leading run-scorer and also led Royal Challengers Bangalore to the IPL final (their best ever finish in the IPL). Four of Kohli's five IPL hundreds came that year, including his stunning 113-run knock against the Kings XI Punjab, now known as the Punjab Kings.

In a game which was reduced to 15-overs-a-side, Kohli smashed the Kings XI bowlers to all corners of the ground, hitting eight sixes and 12 fours en-route to a 50-ball 113. He helped Bangalore reach 211/3 in just 15 overs. The RCB ultimately won the game by 82 runs to book their place in the IPL playoffs.

While Bangalore lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the final, no one can deny just how outworldly Kohli's performances were in IPL 2016. He was rightly voted the Most Valuable Player of the tournament after scoring 964 runs at an average of 81.08 and a strike rate of 152.03. He crossed the 50-run mark in 11 of his 16 IPL games that season, a staggering stat in T20 cricket.

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Virat Kohli's 109 vs Gujarat Lions (IPL 2016)

Virat Kohli scored a big 100 against the Gujarat Lions (Image: IPL)

As stated above, Virat Kohli scored an incredible four tons in IPL 2016. Among those hundreds was a scintillating 109-run knock against the Gujarat Lions, which featured a partnership for the ages.

Sent in to bat first, Bangalore lost Chris Gayle early. But Gayle's dismissal proved to be the only thing Gujarat enjoyed that day. What followed was pure carnage from Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. The two put on the highest partnership (229) in IPL history, breaking the record (215*) they had set together a year earlier. De Villiers scored 129 and Kohli smashed 109 as Bangalore posted 248/3 on the board.

In reply, Gujarat were bowled out for just 104, with the RCB winning the contest by 144 runs. It remains the second-biggest winning margin in IPL history, with Virat Kohli's stunning captain's knock leading to it.

You can check out the most centuries in IPL history here.

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Virat Kohli's 100 (58) vs Kolkata Knight Riders (IPL 2019)

Virat Kohli celebrates his century (Image: IPL)

Royal Challengers Bangalore looked to be down and out of IPL 2019 when they went up against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). But stepped up Virat Kohli, with both the bat and his captaincy, to keep the RCB alive in the tournament.

Batting first, Bangalore appeared to be in big trouble as the KKR bowlers kept the run-flow in check. But Kohli wasn't going home without a fight. He stepped up and played a captain's knock (100 off 58 balls) to help his side post 213/4. Kohli's hundred was his first in three years, and it was a pure exhibition of clean yet devastating strokeplay. He reached monster gear in the final few overs of the innings and took the RCB to a big total.

The Kolkata Knight Riders still came close to chasing down the target, but Kohli showed great tactical nous by bringing on Moeen Ali for the final over. That proved to be another masterstroke, as Ali kept his cool and defended the score to see out the win for RCB.