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Royal Challengers Bengaluru stalwart batter Virat Kohli was "extremely proud" after clinching the Orange Cap and was "pleased" to see his performance in the second half of the tournament.
RCB crashed out of the tournament after suffering a four-wicket defeat in the Eliminator against Rajasthan Royals. The Challengers were down and out in the race for the final four. They were mathematically in the race and needed to win their six group-stage clashes with other results falling in their favour. With Kohli leading the charge with the bat, RCB won six on the trot, ended CSK's title defence and made the cut for the playoffs. Kohli won the Orange Cap for scoring most runs in the 17th edition of the cash-rich league. He scored 741 runs in 15 matches at an average of 61.75, with a century and five fifties. His best score was 113* and his strike rate stood at 154.69, the highest it has ever been for Kohli in a single IPL season. "Extremely honoured to win the orange cap this season. It was a rollercoaster of a ride. I was really pleased with the way I performed for the team, especially in the latter half, where we needed to win every game to qualify. Thank you everyone for your support," Kohli said after being crowned as the winner in the post-match presentation. While Kohli walked away with Orange Cap, his former teammate and Punjab Kings pacer Harshal Patel won his second Purple Cap. The crafty pacer concluded the tournament with 24 wickets in 14 matches at an economy of 9.73 and an average of 19.87. He won his first Purple Cap in 2021 during his time with Royal Challengers Bengaluru by bagging 32 wickets in a single season. He became just the third pacer after Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Dwayne Bravo to win two Purple Caps in the history of the IPL. Harshal thanked the team as well as his family for their support and is looking forward to the next season. "Deeply honoured to be presented with the purple cap. It's been a rewarding journey. I want to thank my teammates, coaches and my family. I look forward to the 2025 season," he concluded. Kolkata Knight Riders mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy had the opportunity to surpass Patel in the final of the tournament against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Chepauk. He needed a five-wicket haul to surpass Patel in the leading wicket-takers list. However, he ended up with the sole wicket of Shahbaz Ahmed as the Riders marched on to lift their third IPL title. (ANI)
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