Mohammad Amir heaps praise on ‘real king’ Virat Kohli

Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir called Indian cricketer Virat Kohli the "Only Real King" in the game of cricket on Thursday after the latter scored a brilliant century during the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).

Kohli’s ton helped Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets and kept the former in contention for a playoff position.

The prolific right-hander also equalled Chris Gayle’s record by smashing his sixth century, 100 runs in 63 balls, in the tournament.

The match was also the first time in IPL history that a player of both teams scored a century, with Heinrich Klassen also scoring 104 off 51 balls.

“What an innings by one and only the real king @imVkohli take a bow,” Amir wrote on Twitter.

The win leaves Bangalore in control of their own destiny in the race to the playoffs, moving up into the fourth and last qualifying spot.

They are tied with Mumbai Indians on 14 points but have a superior net run rate with one game to go — at home to table-topping Gujarat Titans on Sunday.

"My intent from ball one was to go after the bowlers," Kohli said. "There was a dip but I wanted to take it up in the right time. Happy that it all came together nicely.

"I´m myself on the field and think it resonates with the people. Great to see people happy when I perform."

All the IPL teams have now played 13 games each, with the last round of league matches kicking off Friday.

Gujarat have 18 points and will finish top. Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants, with 15 points each, are favourites to take two of the remaining qualification spots, but Bangalore can claim second place if they beat Gujarat and other results go their way.

Three other teams — Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Punjab Kings — are on 12 points, and have only mathematical chances of qualifying.

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