IPL 2020: Sandeep Sharma dismisses Virat Kohli for 7th time, registers special record

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) fast bowler Sandeep Sharma dismissed Virat Kohli in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Saturday and claimed a special record involving the Indian skipper.

After being asked to bat at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, RCB did not have the best

starts as they lost their in-form opener Devdutt Padikkal early in the innings. Padikkal, who was bowled off Sandeep's bowling in the third over, managed only five runs from eight balls. That dismissal brought Kohli at the crease, who lasted only seven balls. On the fourth ball of the fifth over, which was being bowled by Sandeep, Kohli went forward to drive but ended up hitting straight to Kane Williamson at the short extra cover.

With Kohli's wicket on Saturday, Sandeep now has dismissed the RCB skipper for seven times – the most by any bowler in the IPL. The SRH pacer, who now has removed Kohli seven times in 12 innings, is ahead of Ashish Nehra (6 dismissals in 10 innings), Mitchell McClenaghan (4 dismissals in 8 innings), Dhawal Kulkarni (4 dismissals in 11 innings), and Mohammed Shami (4 dismissals in 7 innings).

RCB managed only 120 runs in their 20 overs on Saturday. Wicketkeeper-batsman Josh Philippe top-scored with 32 from31 balls, including four boundaries. AB de Villiers scored run-a-ball 24, while Washington Sundar scored an 18-ball 21. Among SRH bowlers, Sandeep bagged two wickets, while the other dismissals were made by Jason Holder, Shahbaz Nadeem, and Rashid Khan.

Among active cricketers, Sandeep is the second leading wicket-takers for SRH in the IPL, having picked 105 wickets in as many as 89 matches. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who is not a part of the ongoing IPL 2020 because of an injury, is the leading wicket-taker for the Hyderabad-based franchise – 136 wickets in 121 matches.

In the list of most wickets in the IPL by a fast bowler, Sandeep stands seventh. Mumbai Indians (MI) pacer Lasith Malinga, who is also not playing in IPL 2020 due to an injury, is the current holder of most wickets in the tournament with 170 wickets in 122 matches.

Meanwhile, Kohli is the leading run-scorer in the IPL with 5,843 runs at an average of 38.44. Apart from him, only four others have scored 5,000 or more – Suresh Raina (5,368 runs), Rohit Sharma (5,158 runs), David Warner (5,142 runs), and Shikhar Dhawan (5,050 runs).