Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batting coach Dinesh Karthik heaped praise on Virat Kohli, likening him to sporting legends Kobe Bryant and Novak Djokovic in the build-up to the IPL 2025 final, set to be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on 3 June.
Kohli has been in stellar form throughout the season, amassing 614 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 146.53. His tally includes a league-best eight half-centuries. Despite a rare failure in Qualifier 1 against Punjab Kings—where he managed just 12 runs from 12 balls—he remains fifth on the Orange Cap leaderboard.
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A veteran of the tournament, Kohli is among the few cricketers to have featured in every IPL season since its inception. His contributions have been central to RCB’s strong campaign this year, as they secured second place in the league stage with nine wins from 14 matches.
Speaking in a video posted by the RCB’s official X account, Karthik said, “Virat Kohli is one of the most pristine greats of the game. I’ve used the word pristine purely because of his work ethics. I think he’d be right up there with Kobe Bryant of the world, with Novak Djokovic. He’s worked so hard on things that is not seen on the screen is what makes him such a pure, unfiltered, unadulterated, high-quality performer,”
Kohli will aim to finally lead RCB to their maiden IPL title on 3 June, where they’ll face the winner of Qualifier 2 between Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians.