Virat Kohli has become Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) premier pacer and new ball specialist? If you were watching the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season opener against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), you would have seen that the official broadcaster showed Kohli bowling the first ball of the match at the Eden Gardens.
Virat Kohli, RCB’s lead pacer?
Having won the toss and elected to bowl first, RCB captain Rajat Patidar gave the brand-new white ball to Josh Hazlewood. While that was true for the scorers and those watching the match, the broadcasters showed that it was Kohli who was bowling to Sunil Narine and Quinton de Kock.
Kohli hadn’t bowled in the IPL or for the RCB since 2016. It’s safe to say that if Kohli was indeed bowling, something had gone wrong. And even if he was bowling, there was no way that Patidar would give him, of all people, the new ball.
Broadcaster issues in IPL 2025 opener
This wasn’t the first goof-up from the broadcaster. Earlier in the IPL 2025 opening ceremony, Disha Patani’s dance performance was cut midway. Many raised issues that there were audio lags as well. First, while Karan Aujla was singing, and then when Ravi Shastri was hosting during the toss.
Virat Kohli bowling stats in IPL
| Innings | Balls | Wickets | Average | Economy | Strike Rate | Best Figures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | 251 | 4 | 92 | 8.79 | 62.7 | 25/2 |
