'I wanted to mention this for a while'- Virat Kohli compares Bangalore's history with champion teams like Mumbai and Chennai

Due to the crowded Chinnaswamy arena for back-to-back Unbox events before the Indian T20 League in 2023 and 2022, it is clear that Bangalore has one of the most fervent fan bases. Aside from the structure, they have also featured some of the best names in cricket. But RCB has never been able to capture the coveted Indian T20 League title. 

Then, between 2017 and 2019, a series of subpar performances caused them to lose their position as one of the league's heavyweights. However, Virat Kohli, the team's former skipper, hit the critics hard with an Indian T20 League statistic that contrasted Bangalore alongside Mumbai and Chennai.

The five-time winners Mumbai were defeated at home by Bangalore at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium to give the IPL 2023 season a perfect start. With an unbeaten 82 off 49 and a record-setting 148-run opening partnership with skipper Faf du Plessis, Kohli played a crucial part in the game, assisting Bangalore in completing the 172-run chase in 16.2 overs.

After the significant victory, Kohli told Bangalore's detractors that, behind Mumbai and Chennai, they have made the third-most playoff appearances in Indian T20 League history. In 15 seasons, Bangalore has advanced to the knockout stages eight times, with three of those appearances occurring back-to-back.

What did Kohli speak about to the media?

Kohli spoke to the media after an impressive innings against Mumbai. He said, “I wanted to mention this for a while - after MI who have 5 titles and CSK who have 4 if I'm not wrong, we are the third team to have qualified the most times to the playoffs - 8 times. Take one game at a time and try to be a balanced side which we are and we would look to execute our plans as we did tonight."

He then discussed and spoke about how it was great to return to Bangalore’s home ground after years. He said, "I thought it was a phenomenal win, a homecoming after 4 years. Couldn't have asked for a better game," he said in the post-match presentation. "Phenomenal, it was a packed crowd, every seat was full when we walked in here. Very important we started off well, their support propelled us and that makes a massive difference."