Faf du Plessis will “sleep easier” after the bottom-placed Royal Challengers Bangalore ended their six-match losing streak by beating the in-form Sunrisers Hyderabad by 35 runs, in Hyderabad. After Rajat Patidar’s 50 off 20 took RCB to 206 for 7, they restricted the home side to 171 for 8, thanks to spinners Karn Sharma and Swapnil Singh, who combined to take four wickets early in the game. With this win, RCB have kept their playoffs qualification hopes alive.
Faf Du Plessis called it a “massive relief” and that the win could get the confidence back in the group after having admitted previously that a series of defeats could take a mental toll on his players.
RCB’S win after exactly one month leaves skipper Faf Du Plessis finally relieved and satisfied
RCB’s last win came exactly a month ago against Punjab Kings at the Chinnaswamy where they had chased down 177. On Thursday, against high-scoring SRH, Green felt their decision to bat at the toss was a brave one.
The RCB captain Faf Du Plessis called it a “massive relief” and that the win could get the confidence back in the group after having admitted previously that a series of defeats could take a mental toll on his players. After the match, winning skipper Faf du Plessis spoke about the significance of the result and reflected his team’s mindset over the course of the past couple of weeks.
While speaking during the post-match presentation ceremony, RCB captain Faf du Plessis exemplified the importance of the win for the ‘confidence’ of his players, and implied that a positive result was overdue after their close defeats in recent games.
I forgot the way to the press conference- Faf du Plessis
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Faf du Plessis joked about forgetting about his post-match presentation duties after ending a six-match losing streak in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). The three-time finalists defeated the high-flying Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Thursday, April 25.
The skipper from the losing side does not attend the post-match presentation ceremony in the IPL. An interview with the broadcasters before the post-match presentation is conducted right after the end of the contest with the losing captain, and that is what Faf du Plessis has been subjected to during RCB’s losing run.
This time around, it was SRH skipper Pat Cummins who had to go through the initial interview as the losing captain, with Du Plessis attending the post-match presentation ceremony.
Faf Du Plessis joked about forgetting the way to the event upon being asked by Murali Kartik about attaining their first win after exactly a month. Hear what the RCB skipper had to say about it right here
“I forgot the way to the press conference. Every time I’ve just walked off (laughs). The last two games, we’ve showed great signs of a fight. The last game they scored 270+ and we got 260, the KKR game as well we lost by a run. We’ve played some close games but you have to win matches to get some confidence back in the group… When you don’t win, it affects the team and me as well,” said Faf du Plessis.
RCB scored 206 after opting to bat first and managed to defend the total after arguably their best bowling performance of the season. The visitors kept the explosive SRH batting unit under check to win the match by 35 runs and attain their first away win of the season.
I’ll sleep a little happier tonight – exclaims Faf du Plessis
RCB’s playoffs chances are hanging by a thread, but the important fact is that they are still holding on. The franchise potentially needs to win all of their remaining games to make it into the top four, or risk missing out on the knockout stage for the second season running.
“I’ll sleep a little happier tonight. You can’t speak confidence into a group, you can’t fake confidence into a group. The only thing that gives confidence is performances. In the first half we were not quite near our potential. Obviously you try 100 per cent but if the performances aren’t good, the competition is so strong and the teams are so strong, you’ll get hurt,” the RCB skipper added.
RCB will hope that this win is the start of something special. The batting unit played to their potential, with Kohli and Patidar scoring fifties while the bowling unit backed the team with timely strikes in the second innings.
The South African-based RCB skipper Faf Du Plessis also acknowledged his team’s recent struggles at their home ground at Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, considering they have managed to secure just one win at the venue in four attempts this IPL 2024 season. The cricketer added that while the recent results have been tough for his troops, he did praise leg-spinner Karn Sharma for his consistent performance off late.
“Obviously, we know that the Chinnaswamy has been disappointing for us. We are trying to find a recipe where we feel like we can bowl at that ground. And it’s been tough for the guys to find a formula. A leg-spinner (Karn Sharma), even more so now, you have to have a leg-spinner in your team.”
The Faf du Plessis-led side are next scheduled to face the Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, April 28.