3 times Virat Kohli has been dismissed for a golden duck in the IPL
It was a good day at the office for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) as they beat the Rajasthan Royals (RR) by seven runs in the first game of Sunday's double-header, on April 23.
Batting first, RCB posted a total of 189 thanks to half-centuries by Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell. In response, RR came close but ended up with 182 runs on the board.
However, Virat Kohli didn't have a great outing with the bat as he was dismissed off the first ball he faced, which was also the first delivery of the game. Trent Boult bowled a full-length inswinger which Kohli tried to flick. The RCB stand-in captain missed and was trapped plumb in front of the wicket. Kohli knew his fate and didn't even bother considering a review.
The dismissal reminded fans of the ICC 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final where the then India captain was similarly dismissed LBW by Boult.
This was not the first time that Virat Kohli was dismissed for a golden duck in the IPL. It has happened on seven occasions and here, we look at three of those occurrences.
#1 vs KKR, 2017
In a match between RCB and KKR played at Eden Gardens in 2017, RCB, led by Virat Kohli, won the toss and chose to field first. KKR posted a total of 131 in their designated 20 overs. Sunil Narine was the only batter who got going for KKR as he scored 34 runs off 17 balls with the help of six boundaries and one six.
In response, RCB got off to the worst possible start, with Virat Kohli being dismissed for a golden duck on the very first ball of the innings. Nathan Coulter-Nile bowled a beautiful delivery that swung away from Kohli, who was left completely beaten and bowled. This was a major blow for RCB, who were chasing a moderate total and heavily relied on their captain to provide a strong start.
RCB had a shambolic day at the office as they were eventually bowled out for just 49 runs, their lowest ever total in the IPL, losing the match by 82 runs. KKR's bowling attack, led by Coulter-Nile, who took 3 wickets for just 21 runs, was too good for RCB to handle.
#2 vs LSG, 2022
In a game between RCB and LSG in 2022, RCB were put into bat by their opponents. RCB lost Anuj Rawat in the penultimate ball of the first over which brought Virat Kohli to the center. Kohli had a nightmare outing as he was dismissed off the first delivery.
Dushmantha Chameera bowled a simple back of a length delivery which should have been left alone but Kohli chose to play a shot which he couldn't execute because of the bounce. At backward point, Deepak Hooda took a simple catch and Virat Kohli stood in disbelief.
RCB eventually posted a total of 181 which proved to be 18 runs too many for KL Rahul's LSG.
#3 vs SRH, 2022
In a game between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2022, LSG won the toss and elected to bowl first. RCB's innings got off to a disastrous start as they lost skipper Faf du Plessis in the second over itself.
In came Virat Kohli, who was dismissed for a golden duck on the very first ball he faced. Marco Jansen bowled a full-length delivery around the off-stump and Kohli tried to drive it with hard hands, only to hand a simple catch to Aiden Markram at second slip.
RCB had a tough outing as a team as they were bowled out for a paltry score of 68. Sunrisers Hyderabad did not have to break a sweat as they chased the score down in just 8 overs.