At the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday, all eyes were on Virat Kohli — not just for his bat, but for his response.
Earlier this month at the Chinnaswamy, KL Rahul had delivered a fiery 'This is my ground' celebration after powering Delhi Capitals to a win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Many wondered if Kohli would answer back when the two sides met again. He did — but in true Kohli style: calm, cheeky, and utterly decisive.
Kohli anchored RCB’s chase with a patient, well-constructed 51, leading his team to a comfortable six-wicket win over Delhi with nine balls to spare.
After the match, as players shook hands, Kohli walked up to Rahul and cheekily recreated Rahul’s famous celebration — pointing to the ground and thumping his chest. Rahul immediately pointed towards the ‘Virat Kohli Pavilion’ at the stadium, both players laughed, and any lingering tension between the two evaporated in a warm hug.
The light-hearted moment came as a huge relief to fans, especially after a heated on-field exchange between the two Indian teammates had gone viral earlier during the game.
With Kohli batting and Rahul keeping, tensions flared over the time taken for Delhi's field placements. Former India spinner Piyush Chawla later explained that Kohli was unhappy with the delays, fearing slow-over rate penalties, while Rahul defended his team’s tactics.
But Kohli let his bat do most of the talking. His half-century not only sealed RCB’s revenge over Delhi but also propelled him to the top of the IPL 2025 Orange Cap standings.
With 443 runs in 10 matches — including six fifties — Kohli now leads the charts ahead of Mumbai Indians star Suryakumar Yadav.
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