Royal Challengers Bengaluru snapped a six-game losing streak as they registered a convincing 35-run win against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad on Thursday. RCB skipper Faf du Plessis admitted that the team has been low on confidence and this win will certainly add a shot in the arm.
RCB posted a par score of 206 runs on the board after Faf won the toss and decided to bat first. Virat Kohli scored 51 off 43 balls but failed to change gears after the Powerplay overs, managing only 19 runs off 25 balls after the field restrictions.
The much-needed impetus to the RCB’s innings was given by Rajat Patidar, who smashed a 19-ball 50 but was dismissed right after reaching the personal milestone. Patidar took Mayank Markande to the cleaners, smashing the leg-spinner for four consecutive sixes.
Cameron Green then added the finishing touches with a 20-ball 37 to help RCB get past the 200-run mark.
On the other hand, Swapnil Singh, Karn Sharma, and Cameron Green bagged two wickets each to restrict the in-form SRH batting unit to 171-8 in the run-chase.
Faf du Plessis said in the post-match presentation, “Last two games, we’ve shown great signs of fight. SRH game was 270 plus, we got 260. KKR game as well – 1 run. We’ve been close for a while, but you need to win matches to get confidence as a group. 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 South African added, “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. 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.”
Royal Challengers Bengaluru will next take on Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Sunday.
