Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Faf du Plessis expressed his admiration for his team’s fighting spirit but acknowledged the need for clarity and confidence in crucial moments, which he believes RCB lacked in their narrow one-run defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
Chasing a challenging 223, RCB appeared well-positioned at 137 for 2 after 11 overs, thanks to a 102-run partnership between Will Jacks and Rajat Patidar. However, the momentum shifted dramatically when Andre Russell dismissed both set batters in the same over. Cameron Green and Mahipal Lomror followed suit in the next over, falling prey to Sunil Narine’s spin.
Du Plessis attributed the loss to a lack of clarity in decision-making, particularly in the batters’ tendency to go for big shots early on. “When you haven’t won games in a while, there’s a bit of a lack of clarity,” he said. “We got close, but the over from Narine was the turning point.”
The RCB captain also highlighted the changing nature of the game, where batters feel pressured to score boundaries from the outset. “The game doesn’t allow you to get yourself in anymore,” he said. “You have the extra batter with the Impact Player rule, but the guys who come in want to take six or seven balls to get themselves in and get six of six. When you’re chasing 230, 240, 250, it just feels like the game doesn’t allow you to do that anymore.”
Despite the defeat, du Plessis praised his team’s effort in the field, despite conceding 222. “I’m really proud of the boys, the way that we fought in the field,” he said. “We kept them to a total that we felt was defendable.”
