IPL: Decoding Virat Kohli's performance against Chennai Super Kings
Royal Challengers Bangalore will square off against Chennai Super Kings in match number 22 of the Indian Premier League 2022 on Tuesday. RCB stalwart Virat Kohli will be the star to watch out for in the contest. He recently slammed an impressive 48 off 36 balls against Mumbai Indians. The former RCB skipper has a brilliant record against CSK. Here, we decode the same.
Why does this story matter?
Kohli has looked in fine form in the IPL 2022 season so far. Meanwhile, CSK have lost all four of their opening games. However, the defending champions cannot be written off as opponents. Hence, a lot will rely on Kohli's shoulders to keep the winning momentum going for RCB. Also, he has the most number of runs against the Chennai-based side.
Kohli has towering numbers against CSK
Kohli is the highest run-scorer against CSK in the history of IPL. He has scored 948 runs in 27 innings at a strike rate of 127.24. The tally includes nine half-centuries. He has amassed these runs at an average of 41.21. Last season, Kohli racked up 61 runs at a strike rate of 127.08 in two encounters against the defending champions.
Second-most sixes against CSK
The former RCB skipper has hit the second-most sixes against the Ravindra Jadeja-led side (36). He is only behind Mumbai Indians' death-over specialist Kieron Pollard (43 sixes) on this list.
Virat Kohli against CSK bowlers
Over the years, Virat has established himself as one of the greatest players in the IPL. As per Cricketpedia, Virat Kohli has scored 157 runs off 103 balls by Dwayne Bravo, while the latter has dismissed him once in the IPL. Against Ravindra Jadeja, he has amassed 133 runs off 123 balls and has been dismissed thrice.
A look at his performance in IPL 2022
Kohli started the season on an impressive note with an unbeaten 41 against Punjab Kings. However, he couldn't carry forward the momentum in RCB's next two games against Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals. Nevertheless, he recorded an excellent comeback against MI. His scores read as - 48 (36) vs MI, 5(6) vs RR, 12(7) vs KKR and 41*(29) vs PBKS.
A strike-rate of 207.14 in the death overs vs CSK
Over the years, Virat has also enjoyed brilliant success in the death overs (16-20) against CSK. He has amassed 174 runs from nine innings, striking at 207.14 in this phase. It will be interesting to see how he fares against his favorite opponents this time.
