With their loss against Gujarat Titans (GT) on Sunday, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) barely missed out on qualifying for the Indian Premier League (IPL) Playoffs 2023, and bowed out of the competition.
Fans in particular will be disappointed for RCB batsman Virat Kohli who was in the form of his life this season, scoring centuries in their last two games, with his ton against GT his seventh overall in IPL and making him the player with most centuries in the tournament's history.
MORE: How to watch IPL 2023 season online and on TV | Full list of players, teams for IPL 2023
However, for the supporters as saddening as the loss, was seeing Kohli leave the pitch during the second innings after seemingly picking up an injury.
Did Virat Kohli go off injured against Gujarat Titans?
During the 15th over in the second innings, Kohli looked to have hurt his knee while taking a catch off GT batsman Vijay Shankar. As the camera lingered on him, the RCB ace could be seen struggling while walking, with Kohli limping towards his celebrating teammates. Shortly afterwards, the Challengers' vice-captain came off the field and was seen resting on the bench.
The injury comes as a scare for India's cricket team and their supporters as they will soon take on Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final from June 7 to June 11, and Kohli will be crucial for their chances of victory considering the form he's currently in across all formats.
MORE: Make your IPL 2023 predictions and win prizes with Dafabet in Premier League Mania
Will Virat Kohli miss the WTC Final?
When asked about the seriousness of Kohli's injury after the match, RCB coach Sanjay Bangar stated that the injury is nothing to worry about, with it just being a minor niggle which is the result of the Challengers ace having played full innings in their previous game against Sunrisers Hyderabad as well.
"Yeah, he had a bit of a niggle in his knee. But I don't think there is anything serious. Having scored two back-to-back hundreds within a gap of 4 days. He is somebody who not only wants to contribute with the bat but even when he is fielding. He did a lot of running around. 40 overs a couple of days ago and today, for 35 overs he was on the field. He was giving his best. So it is going to bother at some point but I don't think it's anything serious," said Bangar.
Based on Bangar's comments it's unlikely Kohli misses the WTC Final, and he should be ready for India by the time of the game.
