Aaron Finch Credits Kohli’s Form as Cornerstone of RCB’s IPL 2025 Campaign
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have emerged as a dominant force in IPL 2025, securing six wins to cement their place in the top half of the table. A key milestone was breaking their M Chinnaswamy Stadium hoodoo, highlighted by a crucial 11-run victory over Rajasthan Royals, anchored by Virat Kohli’s 70 off 42 balls. Kohli has been instrumental, amassing 392 runs in 9 innings at a strike rate of 144.12, blending consistency with aggression through five fifties. His ability to stabilize the top order has allowed RCB to deploy high-risk middle-order players like Liam Livingstone and RajatPatidar, though their returns remain inconsistent.
Former Australia captain Aaron Finch emphasized Kohli’s role as the “foundational pillar”of RCB’s strategy, stating that his reliability enables the team to experiment with aggressive finishers. “If you’re offered 650-700 runs from a top-three batter, you take it — it creates a platform for others to play fearlessly,” Finch remarked. Kohli’s recent knock against Rajasthan exemplified this approach, weathering early swing before accelerating to set a defendable 205/5. With Josh Hazlewood’s 4/33 bolstering the bowling attack, RCB’s balanced formula of stability upfront and firepower in the middle is finally yielding consistent result.