“I’m going to lead the way here” - RCB director shares inspiring story of Virat Kohli from IPL 2024
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) director of cricket Mo Babat revealed the role Virat Kohli played in the franchise's incredible turnaround in the second half of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign. The three-time finalists made it to the playoffs from the bottom of the table, with Kohli going on to win the Orange Cap for the second time in his career.
RCB were one of the teams who had to make a radical shift in approach midway through the campaign to keep up with the other franchises. Sides like the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) led the way with their ultra-aggressive batting approach, leading to mammoth scores being achieved on a regular basis.
In the first half of the league stage, RCB managed to cross the 200-run mark just once, in the historic high-scoring thriller against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). However, they made amends in the second half with intent, breaching the tally four times to make a resounding comeback.
Mo Babat noted how Kohli was willing to take the initiative to take on the bowling attack from the word go, and set the tempo and platform for the team.
"Virat scored runs throughout the competition, even in that initial period when we weren't getting results. But even he, midway through, said, "Right, I'm going to lead the way here, we can all be more aggressive." it was brilliant to see him talk that through with the rest of the batting group and back his words up with action. I've got no doubt that he'll want to maintain that moving forward," Mo Babat said in an interview with ESPN Cricinfo
Kohli batted with intent throughout the tournament, making a significant improvement against spin bowling in the middle overs. He finished with 741 runs in 15 matches, including 38 sixes, at a strike rate of 154.69.
The ace batter's strike rate read 147.35 midway through the campaign, which included a sluggish ton against the Rajasthan Royals (RR). In the latter half, his strike rate increased to 162.3.
"Won't be sending the team out with somebody having the intent to drop anchor" - RCB Director of Cricket Mo Babat
The new-look T20 approach teeming with aggression has influenced the franchises to construct a squad aligning with that during the 2025 IPL mega auction. After a bold retention tactic, RCB raised even more eyebrows after choosing not to bring back Mohammed Siraj, Glenn Maxwell, or Will Jacks.
RCB instead brought in players like Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone, and Jitesh Sharma to bolster their batting unit. With core players like Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar intact, the franchise intends to go hard for the entire 20 overs.
"I certainly won't be, and Andy certainly won't be, sending the team out with somebody having the intent to drop anchor. That isn't what's required. We want to make the most of every delivery. Players can be trusted to assess the situation, the conditions out there, and Virat will be no different to anybody else," Mo Babat added
RCB have several other new faces like Jacob Bethell, Krunal Pandya, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The franchise was able to rope in Josh Hazlewood and Devdutt Padikkal yet again.