Breaking Down Virat Kohli's IPL 2015 Season with Royal Challengers Bangalore

Virat Kohli’s season in the Indian Premier League came to an end on Friday, as Chennai Super Kings snatched a three-wicket win against Royal Challengers Bangalore with just one ball remaining.

Kohli scored a disappointing 12 runs off 18 balls in the eliminator against Chennai, and at first glance, it might look like Kohli had something of a disappointing season by his own high standards. But the numbers tell a somewhat different story.

Kohli managed to score 505 runs in 16 matches at an average of 45.90. He managed three fifties in that time, notching 35 fours and 23 sixes in total.

It's the third-most runs Kohli has ever scored in an IPL season, behind the 634 he scored in 2013 and the 557 he managed back in 2011. It's also the third-most fifties he's ever managed in a season. It's his second-highest average for the tournament, just behind the 46.41 he averaged in 2011. When it comes to hitting boundaries, it's third-most fours he's hit in a season and the most sixes, indicating that Kohli opted for a more aggressive approach this year.

Kohli had a pretty consistent season, with his first big score coming in his second game, in which he hit 41. He had a stumble in his next match but followed it up with consecutive half-centuries. A slight lull followed, but by the start of May, Kohli managed 48 and an unbeaten 82. He failed to pass the 20-run mark in the next match and then hit an unbeaten 44.

Kohli's final three games were somewhat unremarkable, though, with scores of one not out, 12 and 12. The chart below shows Kohli’s curve over the season.

Bleacher Report

Some will say these crunch games are the sort of things that define seasons, but when the numbers are assessed closely, it’s difficult to find fault with his campaign or his approach. He has remained on a steady curve for the entire season. Cricket is, after all, a team sport.

At present, he has the fourth-highest total of runs in this season's tournament, with only Lendl Simmons standing a chance of overtaking him should he hit a big total in the final between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings on Sunday.

Kohli did stutter off the field, though. During RCB's game against Delhi Daredevils, he was spotted talking to his girlfriend, Anushka Sharma, during the rain break and was investigated for a code of conduct breach, reported by the Hindustan Times. He was also fined for arguing with Dinesh Karthik and got into an argument with an umpire. Some fans might feel disappointed by how Kohli sometimes acts.  

In fact, sports psychologist BP Bam, who has worked with players such as Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, told the Times of India that it's time for some introspection.

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In the interest of his fans, Indian cricket and the game itself, Kohli should think about [controlling his temper]. Team India will suffer if he is banned for a few games due to some unfortunate incident. Also, he is an ambassador of the game and a rare talent. He has to realize what people will think of him if he continues to lose his cool.

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Bam has a point, and that point becomes amplified in situations such as these when Kohli might not have performed quite as he’d hoped and when the results do not go his way. Fortunately for Kohli, his bat does most of the talking, and his IPL 2015 season will mostly be remembered for his exploits on the pitch.