Watch: Mohammed Siraj and Virat Kohli battle it out in nets ahead of fiery IPL 2023 encounter with KKR

The Indian Premier League 2023 has witnessed some fascinating battles, and one such battle awaited when Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) pitted their top bowler Mohammed Siraj against their former captain and batting legend Virat Kohli. RCB shared a minute-long clip of Siraj bowling to Kohli, which had epic written all over it.

Siraj had been RCB’s top bowler this season with 13 wickets from seven matches, including 3/22 against Lucknow Super Giants and 4/21 against Punjab Kings. Kohli, on the other hand, had piled 279 runs with four half-centuries and was placed fifth in the Orange Cap list. Hence, a fascinating battle awaited.

Watch the two go against each other in nets: 

Virat vs Siraj in the nets was a high intense quality match up! Here’s how the duo prepared for this evening’s big clash against KKR.#PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB #IPL2023 #RCBvKKR pic.twitter.com/rBZKpgqB9z

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) April 26, 2023

Siraj began by beating Kohli twice, once outside off and the second time leaving his former India and RCB captain clueless. Kohli then nodded his head in acknowledgment, but given what happened next, it was almost as if he told Siraj ‘Your time is up’. Pandemonium ensued thereafter as Kohli went after Siraj full throttle, bringing out some monstrous sixes. Kohli went absolutely berserk, lining himself up and hitting one lofted drive after another on the up. At the end, even Siraj acknowledged that he was after all, bowling to one of the GOATs.

We all know what King Kohli is capable of – Siraj

“The way I operate in the Powerplay, I stuck to the same approach. When the ball is new, obviously there is some swing. After that, we all know what King Kohli is capable of when he is in form. He smashed me all over the Chinnaswamy,” said Siraj.

The IPL 2023 has proved to be wonderful for Kohli in more than ways. Besides burning up the charts opening the innings, Kohli even returned to captaining RCB in the last two matches in place of the injured Faf du Plessis. Under Kohli’s captaincy, RCB defeated Punjab Kings and the Rajasthan Royals to notch up back-to-back victories and be placed fifth on the points-table.

RCB’s next game is against the woeful Kolkata Knight Riders, who have suffered four defeats on the bounce. RCB and KKR have battled 32 times in the IPL with the two-time winners holding the edge with 18 wins. In fact, KKR won the first round between these two teams by a solid 81 runs.

Kohli’s form and leadership have been instrumental in RCB’s success in the IPL 2023. The clash between Siraj and Kohli was a spectacle for cricket fans, with Kohli emerging victorious in that battle. However, RCB needs to continue their momentum against KKR to solidify their position in the points-table.