Virat Kohli's top 3 knocks in the IPL vs PBKS

As is often the norm, a number of eyes will be trained on Virat Kohli as Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) face the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in a vital IPL 2023 clash at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on Thursday, April 20.

The former Indian skipper has been in scintillating form this season, having struck three half-centuries already. With RCB needing to return to winning ways after suffering a close defeat against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), a good part of their hopes will rest on the swashbuckling opener.

That said, he hasn't necessarily had the best of times by his standards against PBKS (or the Kings XI Punjab as they were earlier called) over the years. With two fifties and a century, he has tallied 802 runs in 29 innings against the Kings, averaging 30.85 at a strike rate of 127.91.

Ahead of his team's crucial contest in Mohali, let's look at Kohli's three best knocks against PBKS in the IPL to date.

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#3 42 off 26 in Mohali, IPL 2010

RCB were chasing a steep target of 182 against the Kings in the 31st match of IPL 2010. Electing to bat first, a string of contributions from Kumar Sangakkara, Ravi Bopara, and Yuvraj Singh saw the hosts pile 181/5 on the board.

With the score reading 54/2 at the end of seven overs and Manish Pandey having just been dismissed, Kohli walked out to join Kevin Pietersen in the middle. A flamboyant 76-run partnership for the third wicket ensued with the duo injecting momentum through the middle overs.

Kohli struck four boundaries and a six before he was caught off the bowling of Bipul Sharma. His 26-ball 42 set the tone for Pietersen and Robin Uthappa to then take over and get the job done as RCB won with five deliveries to spare.

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#2 67 off 53 in Mohali, IPL 2019

IPL 2019 was turning into a miserable one for RCB, who lost their first six games on the spin. Heading into the contest against the Kings in desperate search of a victory, they managed to keep the hosts to 173/4 despite Chris Gayle cracking an unbeaten 99.

In response, Parthiv Patel got the Challengers off to a quickfire start before skipper Kohli combined forces with his long-term partner-in-crime AB de Villiers. The two stitched together a 75-run partnership that kept their team right on track for victory.

Both batters notched up their respective half-centuries, and while Kohli fell for a 53-ball 67, de Villiers and Marcus Stoinis ensured that RCB got past the finish line without a fuss.

With nothing going his team's way that season heading into the contest, this knock from their skipper was instrumental in aiding his side to register their first win.

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#1 113 off 50 in Bengaluru, IPL 2016

It was a knock for the ages. It was a season for the ages too, with Kohli in irrepressible form as he nearly mounted a thousand runs throughout that campaign.

It wasn't easy though ahead of a must-win clash against the Kings in Bengaluru. The RCB skipper suffered an injury in the preceding match and entered the contest with stitches on his left hand. Rain then forced to reduce the contest to a 15-over affair and the hosts were asked to bat first by the Kings.

Kohli and Chris Gayle weren't perturbed though. They swung for the bleachers and unleashed an unrelenting barrage of fours and sixes to ransack every bowler in sight. By the time Gayle departed for a 32-ball 73, the Challengers had already walloped 147 in 11 overs.

Kohli wasn't to be stopped despite AB de Villiers bagging a duck. He rocketed along to his fourth hundred of the season, finishing with a 50-ball 113 studded with 12 fours and eight sixes that saw RCB whip up 211/3 in their allotted 15 overs. It proved way beyond the Kings' reach and it also boosted the Challengers' net run rate and eventually helped them finish in the top two.

That he managed to stave off a finger injury and unleash what is arguably his greatest-ever IPL innings is a testament to his willpower and determination, apart from his class.

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How much will Kohli score against PBKS in today's IPL 2023 clash? Let us know in the comments section below!

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