"You need many heroes, not one...": Sanjay Manjrekar fires shots at RCB, Virat Kohli

Sanjay Manjrekar has yet again turned heads with his sharp shot at the Royal Challengers Bengaluru's over-reliance on a select few players, taking an indirect shot at Virat Kohli after they suffered a crushing 42-run defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 23 in IPL 2025.

With a bold post on the social media platform X, Sanjay Manjrekar highlighted the match-winners across the top four teams qualified for the IPL 2025 playoffs, and the numbers hint at a veiled shot at the RCB and their superstar Virat Kohli.

Sanjay Manjrekar uses stats to take a dig at RCB before IPL 2025 Playoffs

Using Player of the Match stats from IPL 2025, the former Indian batter has subtly highlighted that teams like Gujarat Titans (GT), Punjab Kings (PBKS), and Mumbai Indians (MI) have thrived with multiple match-winners, while RCB’s success mostly depends on Kohli, and the last game proved it.

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The cricket pundit has made a sharp point that a team needs multiple heroes to deliver consistently, and success comes from the collective efforts, not the efforts of one or two icons. And the timing of Manjrekar’s post caught the attention, as it came just after SRH dented their Top-2 finish chances.

Sanjay Manjrekar posted on X: "To be a consistent T20 team you need many heroes not one or two. Let’s have a look at how many different players have been POTM for the 4 playoff teams.
GT - 5
RCB - 7
PBKS - 5
MI - 7
Hmm…"

To be a consistent T20 team you need many heroes not one or two. Let’s have a look at how many different players have been POTM for the 4 playoff teams.
GT - 5
RCB - 7
PBKS - 5
MI - 7
Hmm…😊

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) May 24, 2025

Well, RCB is still chasing their maiden IPL trophy and is often accused of relying too heavily on some of the biggest superstars, including Kohli's performances. Now, they will face Lucknow Super Giants in their last IPL 2025 league match on May 27 at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.

Virat Kohli slips out of Top 5 in the Orange Cap race

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli is one of the top performers this IPL 2025 season, but he has slipped slightly in the Orange Cap race. Before RCB’s previous match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Kohli was among the top 5 leading run scorers. However, that crucial game in Bengaluru was washed out due to rain, and he missed the chance to make progress in the table.

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And the RCB had their next game after six days, and during that period, several other batters made the most of their opportunities, pushing Kohli down the table. But when RCB finally returned to the action on Friday, Kohli showed he was still in prime touch. He scored a brisk 43 off just 25 balls.

Even so, he looked dominant during his 80-run stand with Phil Salt against the Sunrisers Hyderabad but could not turn his great start into the big one and slipped to the sixth spot in the Orange Cap race. The dashing right-hander has 548 runs from 12 innings so far this season.

Sai Sudharsan leads the race for the Orange Cap

Given his consistent form and RCB’s place in the IPL 2025 playoffs, the former Indian captain remains a strong contender to rise again in the table. One more thing will be in his favor, as the fifth-placed Yashasvi Jaiswal of the Rajasthan Royals and fourth-placed Mitchell Marsh of the Lucknow Super Giants won’t be able to add to their tallies.

While RR have already played their 14 group matches, LSG has only one game remaining in the tournament, with both franchises already having been eliminated. Presently, Gujarat Titans’ opener B Sai Sudharsan (638 runs) is leading the table, followed by Shubman Gill (636 runs) and Suryakumar Yadav.