Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday suffered a massive defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the match no. 32 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. After having a great run in the first half of the tournament, Virat Kohli’s team began the UAE leg with a disappointing batting collapse in Abu Dhabi.
After winning the toss, the Kohli opted to bat first. But the KKR bowlers, especially Varun Chakravarthy and Andre Russell, ran through RCB’s batting line, bowling them out for a paltry 92 in 19 overs. The midlle-order succumbed under pressure and overall, 7 out of 11 batters, including captain Kohli and AB de Villiers, scored in single digits.
In reply, a solid 82-run opening stand between Shubman Gill (48) and debutant Venkatesh Iyer (44*) led the Knight Riders to a comprehensive 9-wicket win.
After the heart-wrenching loss, Kohli addressed his teammates in the dressing room and inspired them to move on as soon as possible to return stronger in the next face-off. The video of Kohli speaking to other players of the team was shared on RCB’s official Instagram account.
“We are better off accepting it immediately and being at peace with it. Not meaning that we don’t look forward to the next one but, it should give us more hunger to get on to the field again. And play the cricket that we have already played in this tournament,” Kohli said.
“It’s about accepting that this kind of a game will happen at some stage. There is no reason why we should react differently to losses. We have to stay pretty balanced as a team if we have to go all the way,” he added.
Kohli & Co. are placed third with 10 points but their net run rate of -0.706 is the worst among all the eight teams which could be a worrying sign. However, the team has a bunch of match winners who can help the team propel in the points table. RCB will next face MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings on Friday in Sharjah.
