Australia women’s team captain Alyssa Healy talked about how Virat Kohli is blamed every time the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) lost in the IPL final. Her sympathetic words came ahead of the IPL 2025 final between RCB and Punjab Kings (PBKS) that will be played on June 3 in Ahmedabad.
RCB has not won the IPL trophy for the last 18 years, and this is the 4th time they have reached the final. They lost to Deccan Chargers in the 2009 final, to Chennai Super Kings in the 2011 final, and to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2016 final.
On the other hand, Punjab Kings have reached only their second IPL final, having lost to KKR in the IPL 2014 summit clash.
However, all the focus is on Virat Kohli and RCB, as they will be under pressure to win the Indian Premier League trophy.
Alyssa Healy, captain of the Australia women's team, notes ahead of the final that while both sides would be under pressure, RCB might be under a little more because of their past. With more than 20 million Instagram followers, RCB has a fan base unlike any other IPL team.
"Neither team has obviously ever won before. There's going to be a little bit of panic at some point out there. RCB would really want to win, having come so close in the past. I feel like all the pressure is on RCB to win this title. Especially with the way they have shaped up all the year. But Punjab are just going to come along and steal it from them," Healy said on the LiSTNR Sport podcast.
She also talked about how Virat Kohli is the center of attention whenever RCB fails to win important matches. As the face of the franchise, the franchise, the fans and even former cricketers want Kohli to win the IPL.
With 973 runs in 2016 and 741 last year, Kohli won the Orange Cap twice. However, they were insufficient. He has hammered 614 runs so far this year.
Healy will not object to it, but he also notes that Kohli will continue to be under pressure.
"I feel sorry for him. Every time they haven't won, it's like his fault. It's not per se. But he is the face of the organisation, and it's like 'Oh, Virat has lost it again'. It's not so much for RCB, but 'Virat still hasn't won the IPL trophy'. So, the pressure is all on him. And that side is going to rely a lot on Virat Kohli to get RCB to that trophy," she added.
