IPL 2023: Can Virat Kohli help RCB finally win the title this season?

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Virat Kohli's sublime shot-making against the hapless Sunrisers Hyderabad bowlers sent the legions of Royal Challengers Bangalore fans into a state of frenzy on Twitter.

But the fan base that has suffered the most heartbreaks in the history of the Indian Premier League knows it all too well that one swallow doesn't make a summer.

For the RCB to keep its hopes alive of winning the elusive trophy, the team's top-three — Kohli, skipper Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell — can ill afford any slip up.

With a misfiring middle-order and an inconsistent bowling attack, the team has been depending heavily on these three superstars to win matches.

In the must-win game on Thursday against the already-eliminated Sunrisers, the top two delivered in emphatic style to help the team, which was chasing 187, earn a precious eight-wicket win.

Kohli bounced back from two back-to-back failures with a majestic 100 off 63 balls as his 172-run opening partnership with Du Plessis (71 off 47 balls) eclipsed Heinrich Klaasen's brilliant hundred (104 off 51 balls) for Hyderabad.

The comprehensive display took the RCB to the fourth place in the points table with 14 points.

A win against the already-qualified Gujarat Titans on Sunday would clinch its spot in the playoffs for the second consecutive season.

The team's fate is now in its own hands as Du Plessis team would not have to depend on other teams' results to sneak into the last four stage.

That's a big positive for a team that has a history of making things complicated at the business end of the tournament.

But seeing Kohli roll back the years would make the RCB fans dream.

They will expect the Indian icon to unleash his power against the Titans on Sunday.

It's a game in which none of the top three can afford to fail.

Tournament top-scorer Du Plessis (702 runs), Kohli (538 runs) and Maxwell (389 runs) have done the heavy lifting for the team that is badly missing a quality all-rounder.

Their role will be paramount against the formidable Gujarat Titans which will look to carry a winning momentum into the playoffs.

But one advantage the RCB stars have is that they will be playing that make-or-break game in Bangalore with the passionate fans cheering them on.

The energy from the '12th man' will be vital as Kohli and the RCB look to end his IPL trophy drought.