3 times Virat Kohli's one-man effort with the bat went in vain for his team in the IPL
It was another disappointing year for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The team had a topsy-turvy campaign, registering seven wins and seven losses and eventually ending up in sixth place on the points table.
This year's disappointment was bitter in particular because RCB had their fate in their own hands. They would have made it through to the playoffs had they won their final league game against the Gujarat Titans. Instead, Mumbai Indians went through to the playoffs after winning their final league game of the season.
Virat Kohli's sensational century was overshadowed by the brilliance of Shubman Gill, who scored a scintillating century of his own. Unfortunately for the Bangalore fans and their marquee player, his valiant knock went in vain as another season came to an end.
It's not the first time that the team hasn't managed to get over the line despite their star player doing all he could. That has been a long-standing issue for RCB with not enough of the domestic players stepping up to support the stars.
On that note, we take a look at three occasions when Virat Kohli's one-man effort went in vain for RCB in the IPL.
#1 101* vs Gujarat Titans, IPL 2023
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#RCBvGT | @imVkohli𝗨𝗡𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗣𝗣𝗔𝗕𝗟𝗘 🫡
Back to Back Hundreds for Virat Kohli in #TATAIPL 2023 👏🏻👏🏻
Take a bow 🙌 #RCBvGT | @imVkohli https://t.co/p1WVOiGhbO
Virat Kohli put on a vintage display of batting at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in the final league game of the season. His century included 13 fours and a maximum, and single-handedly carried RCB to a total of 197/5.
However, it was Shubman Gill who stole the headlines as he smashed his way to a century himself, scoring an unbeaten 104 off 52 balls. Gujarat Titans won the game by 6 wickets and five balls to spare, knocking RCB out of the playoffs in the IPL 2023.
#2 100* vs Gujarat Lions, IPL 2016
throughout the season 
#OnThisDay in 2016, Virat Kohli won the Orange Cap and the MVP Award in IPL 2016 🏆
He was absolutely on 🔥 throughout the season 👑
#RCB #IPL2016 #CricketTwitter https://t.co/bYxE0DJxF9
Kohli was at the peak of his powers in 2016 and bossed every team in the IPL 2016, amassing 973 runs at an average of 81.08 and a strike rate of 152.03. He scored four tons in that season, including a couple against the Gujarat Lions.
The RCB captain blazed his way to a 63-ball century, hitting 11 fours and a maximum. He stitched together a 121-run stand with KL Rahul to help the team post a total of 180/2.
The captain's century went in vain though, with Dinesh Karthik's half-century helping the Gujarat Lions win the match by 6 wickets with three balls to spare.
#3 92 vs Mumbai Indians, IPL 2018
Mumbai Indians found themselves in some serious trouble in this game, losing Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan on the first two deliveries, courtesy of Umesh Yadav. It was half-centuries from Rohit Sharma and Evin Lewis that did most of the rescue job for the hosts at the Wankhede Stadium as they posted an impressive total of 213/6.
In reply, RCB's innings panned out rather tamely, carried by one man. Kohli scored 92* off 62 balls, smashing 7 four and 4 sixes. However, that wasn't enough to help his side because the rest of the batting unit collapsed awfully around him. Bangalore eventually lost the game by 46 runs and the captain's knock went down in vain.