History Repeats: Kohli’s 2008 Scoreline Revisited in IPL 2025
On Friday, the 34th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) was held at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. During this match, an unexpected incident occurred involving Bengaluru’s star player Virat Kohli, drawing attention for its striking resemblance to a past event. Remarkably, the same scenario unfolded again after 18 years.
In the match against Punjab Kings, Virat Kohli faced only three deliveries and scored just one run before being dismissed by Arshdeep Singh with a well-executed delivery. Coincidentally, on April 18, 2008, during a match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Kohli was also dismissed after scoring only one run. In that game, he had faced five balls and was dismissed by bowler Ashok Dinda.
That earlier match also ended in a loss for Bengaluru against KKR. Kolkata had posted a massive total of 222 runs for the loss of three wickets in their allotted 20 overs. In response, RCB collapsed for just 82 runs, suffering a heavy defeat by 140 runs.
In the recent encounter with Punjab Kings, RCB’s batting lineup once again failed to deliver. Due to rain, the match was reduced to 14 overs. Punjab’s bowlers put up a dominant performance, putting RCB’s batsmen under immense pressure. Bengaluru’s lineup crumbled as wickets fell in quick succession, ultimately managing only 95 runs in 14 overs.
Among RCB’s batters, only Tim David and captain Rajat Patidar reached double figures. Tim David remained unbeaten with a half-century off 26 balls, while Rajat Patidar scored 23 runs.
Chasing a modest target of 96 runs, Punjab Kings achieved victory in 12.1 overs, losing five wickets. Notably, both this recent match and the one in 2008 were played at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, and RCB suffered defeat on both occasions.
