IPL 2023 | Virat Kohli had niggle on his knee but nothing serious, assures Sanjay Bangar
Sanjay Bangar gave an all-important update regarding Virat Kohli, who went to the dugout during the final half of GTās chase against RCB after hurting himself on the field. The RCB head coach there is nothing to be worried about Kohli ahead of the WTC final as he only had a ābit of a niggleā.
Royal Challengers Bangalore were eliminated from the IPL 2023 on Sunday after losing to Gujarat Titans by six wickets at Chinnaswamy Stadium. They rode on Virat Kohliās spectacular hundred to post 197/5, but Shubman Gillās magnificent knock of 52-ball 104 helped the defending champions to see off the target with five balls to spare. While the RCB fans were disappointed after not getting the opportunity to lift the title in yet another season, many had concerns over Kohli, who left the field during the 15th over of GTās innings after hurting his knee while taking a fine catch of Vijay Shankar.
There were rising tensions in the country because India are scheduled to play Australia in less than two weeks in the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) at The Oval. Everyone knows what Kohli brings to the table, and his absence could be costly for Rohit Sharma and Co., given they are already without the injured duo of Jasprit Bumrah and KL Rahul. However, RCB head coach Sanjay Bangar, during the post-match press conference, gave everyone assurance that Kohli is ok, and the update led many supporters to take a sigh of relief.
"Yeah, he had a bit of a niggle in his knee. But I don't think there is anything serious,ā Bangar said, as quoted by India Today. āHaving scored two back-to-back hundreds within a gap of 4 days. He is somebody who not only wants to contribute with the bat but even when he is fielding. He did a lot of running around. 40 overs a couple of days ago and today, for 35 overs he was on the field. He was giving his best. So it is going to bother at some point but I don't think it's anything serious."
The playoffs of the IPL 2023 will get underway on May 23, with table-toppers Titans taking on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Chepauk in Qualifier 1. A day later, the same venue will host Lucknow Super Giants facing Mumbai Indians in Eliminator.