When Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) take the field against Mumbai Indians in Raipur on Sunday, it will mark the franchise’s first IPL game at the venue in nearly a decade. The last time RCB played here, Virat Kohli was in the middle of a season that would eventually become one of the greatest batting campaigns in the tournament’s history.
Back in May 2016, Raipur hosted a virtual knockout between RCB and the then Delhi Daredevils, who were the home side. The equation was straightforward: win and stay alive in the race for the playoffs, lose and risk watching the season slip away. RCB held their nerve that night, chasing down 139 with six wickets in hand.
Kohli top-scored with 54, but it was not one of the breathtaking innings that would come to define his 973-run season. There were no fireworks or outrageous strokeplay. On a sluggish surface where timing the ball was difficult, every run had to be worked for.
Zaheer Khan, leading Delhi, kept things tight with the ball and even produced a beauty to dismiss AB de Villiers. The chase never quite opened up for RCB, forcing Kohli to fall back on one of the strongest parts of his game at the time – relentless running between the wickets.
“It was a 160-par wicket. Amazing, hats off to the bowlers,” Kohli said after the match. “We were at an impossible stage. Our focus has paid off. My focus is to take the team through.”
Those comments captured the mood around RCB during the second half of that season. After an inconsistent start, they had suddenly hit their stride, winning crunch games one after another to stay in contention.
Kohli’s remarks after the game also offered a glimpse into the mindset behind his extraordinary run that year.
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“You have to start afresh every day. It sounds boring, but that’s the way it is,” he said. “To have discipline, you need to be boring. You need to make every day count.”
That was Kohli in 2016 – intense, obsessive about preparation and constantly pushing himself. Yet even at the peak of his powers, he remained conscious of staying grounded.
“Very important not to get rude or arrogant when you are in form,” he said. “It’s all about keeping that thin line between confidence and overconfidence.”
The significance
RCB’s win in Raipur was another important step in a remarkable late surge. It was their fourth consecutive victory, helping them finish second on the points table and qualify for the playoffs. Kohli would end the season with 973 runs, a record that still stands nearly ten years later.
A lot has changed since then.
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Delhi no longer play home games in Raipur, which briefly served as the franchise’s second base before fading from the IPL calendar. Several players from that contest have retired, while others have moved into coaching boxes and commentary studios.
Only Kohli remains.
The IPL itself has changed beyond recognition, too. Teams now bat deeper, impact subs have altered strategy and totals beyond 250 no longer feel impossible. Back in 2016, though, a tense chase of 139 on a difficult pitch could still feel like a high-wire act.
That is what makes RCB’s return to Raipur feel slightly different. The venue may not have hosted IPL games regularly over the last decade, but it still holds memories of one of Kohli’s greatest years – a season in which every innings carried enormous weight.
Ten years later, Raipur returns to the IPL spotlight. And with it come memories of a Kohli season that still lives rent-free in the minds of RCB fans.
