Virat Kohli's emotions after Royal Challengers Bangalore's win against Sunrisers Hyderabad, perfectly summed up the mood of his team on Thursday night. RCB sealed a 35-run victory in Hyderabad, to barely remain alive in the playoffs race.
Defending 207, RCB restricted SRH to 171/8 in 20 overs. It was a collective display from their bowling unit as they managed to contain IPL 2024's most in-form batting side. All-rounder Cameron Green was in good form and took two wickets. Meanwhile, Karn Sharma and Swapnil Singh also scalped two dismissals each.
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After Yash Dayal bowled the final over of the run chase, Kohli erupted into laughter and was all smiles as he congratulated by the pacer. His emotions were finally on the happier side as RCB managed to end their losing streak of six matches.
The mood in the camp was also perfectly resonated by Faf du Plessis' words in the post-match ceremony. "Will sleep easier tonight. You can't speak confidence into the group, can't fake confidence into the group. Only thing that gives confidence is performances. The competition is so strong, the teams are so strong that you'll get hurt if you're not at 100 percent. More guys scoring runs now. First half of the tournament only Virat was scoring runs. Greeny scoring runs now will be massive for him," he said.
{{/usCountry}}The mood in the camp was also perfectly resonated by Faf du Plessis' words in the post-match ceremony. "Will sleep easier tonight. You can't speak confidence into the group, can't fake confidence into the group. Only thing that gives confidence is performances. The competition is so strong, the teams are so strong that you'll get hurt if you're not at 100 percent. More guys scoring runs now. First half of the tournament only Virat was scoring runs. Greeny scoring runs now will be massive for him," he said.
{{/usCountry}}Du Plessis also summed up RCB's bowling troubles this year and blamed the pitch conditions in Bengaluru. "We know that Chinnaswamy, that's been a big frustration for us. It's a difficult ground to bowl at. We've tried to find a recipe for it, but it's tough," he said.
Initially, RCB posted 206/7 in 20 overs, with Virat Kohli smacking 51 off 43 balls. Meanwhile, Rajat Patidar hammered a quickfire knock of 20 runs off 50 balls and Cameron Green remained unbeaten at 37* off 20 deliveries. For SRH's bowling department, Jaydev Unadkat bagged three wickets. RCB are still bottom of the table, and face Gujarat Titans in their upcoming fixture in Ahmedabad, on Sunday.