IPL 2023: RCB’s head coach Sanjay Bangar gives an update on Virat Kohli’s injury

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batter Virat Kohli suffered an injury in his right knee during IPL 2023 match against Gujarat Titans (GT) at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on Sunday (May 21).

It was the last league match of the tournament and RCB faced a six-wicket defeat at the hands of defending champion Titans. With that, RCB’s dream of winning their maiden IPL trophy once again came to an end.

Kohli proved to be a lone warrior for the Bangalore side. He not only scored a remarkable century and led the team to a competitive total of 197 for the loss of five wickets but also took a brilliant catch to dismiss dangerous looking Vijay Shankar. GT were cruising towards victory as opener Shubman Gill and No.3 Shankar had added a valuable partnership of 123 runs. But the superb catch by Kohli gave an outside chance to his team to register a win. Unfortunately, he injured his knee while completing the catch.

The former RCB skipper was seen limping after taking the stunning grab. A physio examined him, with Kohli subsequently walking off the field. He watched the last five overs of the game from the dugout. However, in the post-game press conference, RCB head coach Sanjay Bangar gave an update on Kohli’s injury, reiterating that it is not serious.

“Yeah, he had a bit of a niggle in his knee. But I do not 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 after the match.

Kohli is among seven Indian players who will fly out to England on Tuesday to begin preparation for the all-important World Test Championship final (WTC) 2023 against Australia.

Fit Kohli is both an asset and a necessity for Team India. His red-hot form will be crucial for the Indian side as they are set to play the WTC final in London, starting June 7.  Later, the Asia Cup and the 50-over World Cup in India are also coming up, where Virat’s presence is a must for his team.