Virat Kohli's RCB cursed to be forever haunted by Yuzvendra Chahal

A lot was expected from Virat Kohli when he came out to bat in the Eliminator between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Wednesday (May 22).

The former RCB skipper had scored heavily in the league stage and was expected to deliver for the team in the knockout game as well.

Virat Kohli started well with the bat and got the start as well but failed to convert it into a big score as he was dismissed for 33 runs. His knock came off 24 balls and was studded with 3 fours and a six.

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Virat Kohli's former RCB teammate Yuzvendra Chahal dismissed him to give RR a huge breakthrough. The former India skipper was looking in good touch and was well set.

But before he could shift gears, he was sent packing by Chahal. Kohli went for a slog sweep against the leg-spinner and hit the ball straight to the fielder in the deep.

Varun Aaron highlights RCB's eternal regret:

With Chahal claiming the huge wicket of Kohli, former India and RCB pacer Varun Aaron has said that the franchise's eternal regret is to let Yuzvendra Chahal go. The Bengaluru-based outfit stunned the cricketing world by releasing Chahal ahead of the 2022 season.

While many expected RCB to go for the spinner in the auction, they decided against it. Chahal was eventually bought by Rajasthan Royals and has been playing for them since.

Speaking about the game, Aaron started by pointing out RCB's surprising decision to let Chahal go before saying that the spinners have made a difference in the playoff games so far.

"I think RCB's eternal regret is going to be letting Yuzi Chahal go. If you look at both the big matches, it was the spinners who made the difference.

"In the last match, it was Varun and Narine. Yes, Narine went for runs but got an important wicket. Yuzi Chahal got the important wicket of Virat today, and Ash (R Ashwin) has had the best game in the IPL so far," Aaron told ESPNCricinfo.

"When you don't have quality spinners in the middle, it's a little hard to control the game. When you are only bowling pace in the middle, you are at the mercy of the batsmen to get out rather than get a wicket," Aaron added.

Meanwhile, the Royals beat RCB by four wickets to set up a clash with Sunrisers Hyderabad in the second qualifier. The winner of the game will be playing against Kolkata Knight Riders in the final on Sunday (May 26) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.