On Wednesday, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) took on Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Eliminator of IPL 2024 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
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Put in to bat first, RCB scored 172/8 in their 20 overs as a disciplined effort from RR's bowlers restricted them. In reply, RR chased down the score with an over to spare as contributions from Yashasvi Jaiswal (45), Riyan Parag (36) and Shimron Hetmyer (26) took them over the line.
Did Ambati Rayudu criticise Virat Kohli after RCB's elimination?
RCB had defeated rivals Chennai Super Kings in their final league stage match to sneak into the top four in their place. After the match, several current and former CSK players engaged in online banter about RCB, intensifying an already fierce rivalry.
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One of these players was ex-CSK batter Ambati Rayudu who said in a post-match show that 'passion and celebration don't win you trophies', a statement for which he was trolled by RCB fans. On Friday, he took to X (formerly Twitter) to further explain his thoughts.
Rayudu specifically mentioned the team leaders needing to put the team's interests ahead of individual milestones, a criticism that has been levelled at RCB star Virat Kohli through the years. This year though, the India star was in prime form in the IPL, notching up 741 runs at a strike rate over 150, dispelling any lingering doubt over his ability to accelerate in the shortest format of the game.