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Former England captain Kevin Pietersen said on Wednesday that Virat Kohli deserved to win an IPL trophy and he would have to leave RCB to achieve his dream in the future. Pietersen expressed disappointment at Virat Kohli finishing empty-handed despite carrying RCB’s run-scoring burden and topping the batting charts with 700-plus runs in IPL 2024. The legendary batter’s comments came after RCB’s 17-year-long run without a title continued after they were knocked out in the Eliminator in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, May 22.
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Kevin Pietersen cited the examples of football superstars, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane, saying all of them left their previous clubs to seek a better future and more success. Pietersen said Delhi could be Kohli’s next destination, if and when the superstar batter decided to end his association with RCB.
RCB’s hopes of ending their trophy drought were boosted when they scripted a stunning run to sneak through to the playoffs. RCB were reeling at the bottom of the table with just a win from their first eight matches. They won their last six matches to edge into the playoffs. However, RCB lost to the Royals by four wickets, failing to defend 172 at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Wednesday.
“I have said it before and I will say it again — the greats of the game in other sports, have left teams to go and seek glory somewhere else. When he has tried and tried so hard — won the Orange Cap yet again and done so much yet again and the franchise fails againâæ I understand for the brand of the team and the commercial value he brings to the team… But Virat Kohli deserves a trophy. He deserves to play in a team that could help him to get that trophy,” Pietersen told Star Sports.
“I actually think it should be Delhi. Delhi is the place where Virat needs to go. Virat can go away, and stay at home most of the time, I know he has a home in Delhi. He has a young family. He can spend more time there. He is a Delhi boy. Why can’t he go back? Delhi are as desperate as Bengaluru.
“I think it’s about time Virat thought long and hard. Beckham left, Ronaldo left, Messi left, Harry Kane just left Spurs and went to Bayern Munich,” he added.
WILL VIRAT KOHLI LEAVE RCB?
Virat Kohli finished the season as the leading run-getter with 741 runs in 15 matches, including a hundred and five fifties. In fact, Kohli had his second-best season with the bat, remodelling his approach in the powerplay and playing a key role in inspiring their incredible comeback in the league stage.
However, RCB failed to be composed and get the job done in the play-offs. It is the fourth time in the last five seasons that RCB have failed to make the final after finishing the league stage in the top four. In 2016, which was also the last time RCB reached the final, Kohli scored a record-breaking tally of 973 runs. However, RCB lost to SunRisers in the final.
Despite all the chatter around his future with RCB, Virat Kohli has always maintained that he wanted to finish his career with the Bengaluru-based franchise. Kohli has often spoken about loyalty and has been grateful for the trust RCB has shown in him since the inaugural season of the IPL. The 35-year-old is the only player to have played for the same team across all 17 editions of the IPL.