Sharjah: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli is supremely confident that his team will play in the IPL-2021 final. Virat Kohli has said ‘Qualifiers and Eliminators’ are terms coined simply to create more pressure. He insisted a few hours before the ‘Eliminator’ played between his side and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) that they can win two more games to reach the IPL final.
Kohli seemed unperturbed that his side could not seal a top-two finish. “We have a lot of confidence on our team. If not the top two spot (on the points table), then we will have to win two more matches to reach the final. We are fully prepared for that,” Kohli said on Star Sports show ‘Inside RCB’.
“You prepare for all kinds of possibilities, and the way I see it, ‘Qualifiers’ and ‘Eliminators’ are just terms that exist to create more pressure for these matches. When you play cricket, you either win or lose, so when you think you have two options (winning or losing), then that mindset can possibly turn into a negative one,” added the Indian skipper.
Should RCB win against KKR, they will have to overcome the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the second Qualifier to be played Wednesday. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have already sealed their spot in the final by beating DC by four wickets Sunday.
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“Our focus is to go out, execute our plans and win games. When your only option is winning, and losing is not, then your performance reaches another level. I feel our team are in the right space to execute our plans,” asserted Kohli.
Former South African batsman AB de Villiers said there won’t be much change in the team’s game plan going into the knockout stage.
“Naturally, the intensity goes up when everything is on the line. You think back to when we started the IPL to now. We’ve put in a lot of effort, so it is natural for the juices to start flowing a bit more. Skillset stays the same, my game plan won’t change much. I think the cricket that we are trying to play will also not change much,” asserted ABD.
“He (Virat Kohli) will be full of adrenaline, as always. And he will be making sure we all are in the fifth gear once the ‘Eliminator’ starts,” De Villiers signed off.