Bengaluru, April 18
Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar admitted that his side fell short by 15-20 runs as it suffered six-wicket defeat against Delhi Capitals.
He also talked of middle-overs collapse as a key turning point in the match.
Speaking during the post-match presentation, Patidar acknowledged the strong start provided by Virat Kohli and Phil Salt but said the team failed to capitalise in the middle phase.
"That was very close, but I feel that we were 15-20 runs short. The way we started initially, especially Virat bhai and Salt, they have given a good start, but from there, after 12-13 overs, we lost wickets in a couple of overs and that put us on the back foot," Patidar said.
He also noted that the pitch played slightly differently early on, making batting challenging at the start of the innings. "I think in the first inning, it was a bit tacky, I would say," he added.
Despite the loss, Patidar highlighted a positive finish with the bat, saying the team managed to add valuable runs in the final overs.
"But I think the way we stretched in the last over, I think that's a positive sign for us," he said.
The RCB skipper also stressed the importance of clarity in execution and said the team would look to rectify mistakes going forward in the long tournament.
"I was just discussing with the bowlers that be clear whatever you do. It's a long tournament, but I think we will go back and introspect where we made the errors and we'll rectify them," he concluded.
Delhi pulled off a thrilling last-ball chase to defeat Bengaluru by four wickets in an IPL encounter at Bengaluru on Saturday.
Batting first, RCB were restricted to 175/8 despite a solid 63 off 38 balls from Phil Salt, as DC bowlers Lungi Ngidi, Kuldeep Yadav, and Axar Patel picked up two wickets each to keep the scoring in check.
In reply, DC were rocked early at 18/3, but KL Rahul (57 off 34) and Tristan Stubbs (60* off 47) rebuilt the innings with crucial half-centuries.
David Miller then delivered a blistering unbeaten 22 off 10 balls, finishing the chase dramatically with two sixes and a four off the final over, taking DC to 179/4 in 19.5 overs.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar starred for RCB with 3/26, including a triple strike in the powerplay, but the team failed to defend their total as DC climbed to fourth place with the win.
Brief Score: RCB - 175/8 (Phil Salt - 63 off 38 balls, Tim David - 26 off 17 balls, Axar Patel 18/2) lost to DC: 179/4 in 19.5 overs (Tristan Stubbs 60*, KL Rahul 57, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 3/26) by six wickets.
- ANI
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