Kohli was awarded Player-of-the-Match for his unbeaten knock of 73 against PBKS.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) stalwart Virat Kohli heaped praise on teammate Devdutt Padikkal after their seven-wicket victory over Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the IPL 2025 clash at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, Chandigarh.
Chasing 158 to win, RCB lost Phil Salt in the very first over for just 1. However, Kohli and Padikkal shared a 103-run stand for the second wicket to put the visitors in a commanding position.
While Padikkal fell after scoring 61 off 35 balls, Kohli remained unbeaten on 73* off 54 balls to take RCB over the finishing line in 18.5 overs.
After the win, Kohli, who was awarded Player-of-the-Match, said that Padikkal's knock made the difference against PBKS and the southpaw deserved this honour more than him.
“I thought Dev made a difference today, this award should go to him, I don't know why they have given it to me. I try to stay there, holding one end up and try to accelerate later,” Kohli said in the post-match interview.
“One partnership is good enough in T20 cricket during run chase. I can accelerate, but I want to understand the strengths of other players. Holding one end up at the moment, that's working for us. It was a very good auction for us, we got a good team. These guys were composed (after the auction.) Guys like David, Jitesh, Patidar, the roles they are playing. It's coming off nicely. Also Romario coming in for us today. Livingstone's also there. That was missing over the last seasons. Guys can keep counter-attacking, the guys are hungry. You can see that intensity on the field as they are diving around. That is really pleasing to see. When you play like that, your chances of winning are better,” he added.
Kohli also highlighted the importance of the win against PBKS in terms of the team's standings on the points table. They are currently third on the 10-team points table with five wins and three losses. With the same win-loss ratio, PBKS are holding the fourth spot.
“Very important game for us. 2 points can make a massive difference in terms of qualification. We have played some amazing cricket away from home. When you go from eight to ten (points), it makes a massive difference in the points table. The mindset has to be to get 2 points in every game,” he remarked.
RCB will next face Rajasthan Royals at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on April 24.
(With Cricbuzz Inputs)