Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar gave credit to the bowlers after they claimed a nine-wicket win against Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium, Jaipur in the ongoing IPL 2025 on Sunday.
After deciding to bowl first, RCB was able to restrict RR to 173 runs on a tricky pitch. Josh Hazlewood, Krunal Pandya, Yash Dayal, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar bagged one wicket apiece and also bowled economical spells.
Despite RCB not being at their best in the field as Yash Dayal and Virat Kohli gave second lives to Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel respectively, the visitors were able to keep the home team at bay.
On the other hand, RCB got off to a flying start as Phil Salt was able to take the attack against the bowlers. Salt scored 65 runs off just 33 balls to kill the chase whereas Kohli, who was given a reprieve by Riyan Parag when he was on seven, also scored an unbeaten 62 to take his team over the line.
Rajat Patidar said in the post-match presentation, “It was really amazing. The way the bowlers executed their plans, it’s nice to see.
When asked if he had any specific target in mind, Patidar said, “I don’t think so. The way we bowled in the powerplay, that was really special. The wicket wasn’t easy to bat. We were targeting 150-170. I get my confidence from my bowlers. They are ready to bowl at any surface and at any stage, that’s amazing and gives a lot of confidence for me.”
The RCB captain also praised the opening duo of Phil Salt and Virat Kohli as he added, “I really enjoyed Salt’s batting from the dug-out. The way he was striking and at the same time VK rotating the strike, it was really special. We always look to play positive and good cricket.”
RCB will next take on Punjab Kings at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on Friday.