- May 10, 2025
Not many batters in modern cricket share the charisma and poise when facing down a run-chase like Virat Kohli. Be it that Snake of a cover drive or that stare of a Methusala, Kohli has been the heartbeat of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for as long as I can remember. There are times, however, I have felt Kohli has failed to deliver, and one of these moments came during the 2021 IPL season when fans were left to wonder what had just happened, and the only question for former cricketers like Sanjay Manjrekar was “What just happened?” It was a game versus CSK where Kohli’s strike rate decreased from 153 to 86. And honestly, I’m not sure if anyone knows why?
The Build-Up: A Blazing Start Turns Baffling
Kohli came out and looked like he had his normal intent. In the beginning, it looked like the vintage Virat. He was dancing down the pitch, taking on the seamers, and batting like a T20 blink and you miss it, something that we haven’t seen him do in a while. There was a point where he was on a 153-strike rate, beautifully timing the ball, and rotating strike like clockwork. And then, he got to about fifty and things began to change.
Unexpectedly, Kohli was no longer taking the chances he had earlier. He slowed down quite a lot. The man who was clearing the boundary at will seemed to be more interested in his landmark than the team’s total. His final score? 53 runs off 41 deliveries. Acceptable? Perhaps. Winning? Not.
This mid-innings blip ultimately proved costly as RCB managed just 156 runs off 6 wickets in their 20 overs—a target CSK chased down comfortably. Sanjay Manjrekar was blunt as ever and questioned Kohli’s tempo coming down, saying there was “no visible reason” for the drop in velocity, and he may have been right.
Behind the Numbers: Kohli’s Toughest IPL Season Yet
This wasn’t an anomaly. Kohli had a poor 2021 IPL season across the board, with 405 runs at an average of 28.92 and a strike rate of less than 120, clearly not in his fluent flow. For a player of his stature, they were way below the line.
There was a clear gap between intent and execution. Kohli often made a fast start to games and then fell away, and it doesn’t matter why it happened. Whether he felt the pressure of captaincy and attempts to focus on batting, whether external pressure played a part, or whether he was simply in a dip in form, something wasn’t right. 2021 was also his last season as RCB captain, which could factor into Kohli’s mindset – when both your form dips and talk of leadership is surrounding you, it is easy to see how overthinking can creep in.
Redemption Arc: A King Always Rises
But the Kohli narrative did not end with 2021. After a dreadful 2022, when he was even worse (341 runs at well under 116 strike rate), many were questioning if he would again show the ‘real’ Kohli in the IPL. Then we had 2023 and then 2024. He let the bat do the talking, loudly.
He came roaring back in IPL 2023 with 639 runs at nearly 140 strike rates. But IPL 2024 was the true re-introduction for everyone on why he is still the king. Kohli batted to a legendary 741 runs at over 61, with an insane 154.69 strike rate, the highest in his IPL career. The famine of 2021? A distant memory. The change in intent was clear. Kohli was no longer batting for milestones; he was batting to win (316 runs in playoffs).
So, what do you think? Is Kohli now playing the best T20 cricket of his career, or is the best yet to come? Should we keep the conversation going?
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