Virat Kohli wants to reflect and rebuild RCB after ‘forgettable’ IPL 2017

Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), who were finalists last season, finished Indian Premier League in last spot with 7 points and three victories from 14 matches, including the win vs Delhi Daredevils (DD) on Sunday.

Virat Kohli has not been very good at hiding emotions and right through the 2017 Indian Premier League (IPL), the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain has been trying to put up a brave face while his side went on a losing streak it managed to break only in the last game of the season, against Delhi Daredevils (DD) on Sunday. (DD vs RCB highlights) (Scorecard)

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle celebrate their win against Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Sunday. Such happy moments were rare for Kohli and his team this year, with the side’s stars, including Gayle, failing to neither fire individually, nor deliver as a unit. (AP)

Royal Challengers Bangalore, finalists last season, finished last on the IPL 2017 points table, with just seven points from 14 games, losing 10 matches. (IPL final standings)

Despite ending the season on a winning note, Virat Kohli was not exactly a happy man and described IPL 10 as “forgettable” and a season to “reflect on” for Royal Challengers Bangalore.

“It’s been a season to forget, a season to reflect on,” said Kohli after the match in Ferozshah Kotla where RCB beat Delhi Daredevils by 10 runs. “ We’ve got a great chance to look at all the things we’ve done wrong and refresh as a franchise.”

“The guys took today as an opportunity and it worked out,” added Kohli.

Kohli and Royal Challengers would be looking to rebuild a bit before a next edition. However the skipper insisted that the team is keen to retain some core players

“We do have guys in the 3-5 player bracket who we want to retain if that’s possible. They’ve shown the right attitude and they deserve it. It’s just nice to end on a winning note.,” he added.

Kohli praised Harshal Patel (3/43) and young Avesh Khan (1/23) for their good performance against Delhi Daredevils.

“Both Harshal and Avesh played with a lot of heart,” said Kohli. “The way Avesh rushed it onto the batsmen on this pitch, something world-class bowlers couldn’t do, was impressive. We know Harshal’s skill set and he took three big wickets today, it’s unfortunate he couldn’t play more.”