Virat Kohli’s brother Vikas slams Sanjay Manjrekar for his strike rate jab at RCB star in IPL 2025

Virat Kohli’s elder brother, Vikas Kohli, took to social media to criticize former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar for excluding the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star from a list of top strike rate performers in IPL 2025.

Manjrekar had earlier suggested that Kohli was "not at his best" ahead of his face-off with Jasprit Bumrah. Later, Kohli was notably absent from a social media post by Manjrekar highlighting IPL 2025's best batting performances.

The April 7 match between Mumbai Indians and RCB at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium was billed as a key battle between Kohli and a resurgent Bumrah. On Star Sports, Manjrekar claimed that Bumrah was currently at his peak, while Kohli's prime had passed.

“Virat Kohli was at his best 5-6 years ago. Jasprit Bumrah is at his peak. Bumrah's stock is rising; Kohli’s used to be high, but not anymore. This isn’t a best vs best contest,” Manjrekar remarked.

Two weeks later, Manjrekar shared a “batting-only list that matters” on X (formerly Twitter), listing seven players with their IPL 2025 runs and strike rates—Kohli’s name was missing.

Vikas Kohli hits back at Sanjay Manjrekar for excluding Kohli from IPL 2025 list

Vikas Kohli responded with sarcasm, mocking Manjrekar’s own career statistics. He pointed out the irony of Manjrekar criticizing Kohli, despite Virat currently being one of the top scorers in the tournament.

Posting on Threads, he wrote, “sanjay manjrekar. Career ODI strike rate: 64.31. Easy to talk about 200-plus strike rates.”

Kohli has amassed 443 runs at a strike rate of 138.87, with an average of 63.29 in 10 innings, placing him second on the IPL 2025 run-scorers list. His form has been key to RCB’s success, helping them top the table with 14 points from 10 matches. One more win could seal their playoff spot.

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