Mohali: Skipper Virat Kohli was a relieved man after Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) finally snapped a six-match losing streak in IPL-XII with an eight-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) here Saturday.
Kohli (67), AB de Villiers (59 n o) batted well before a Marcus Stoinis (28) cameo took them over the line with four balls to spare.
“It is a great feeling to get across the line. We have been unlucky in couple of games. Won’t say we’ve been unlucky in every game, but a couple of games we should’ve closed out before this one,” Kohli said after the match.
“After so many setbacks, the guys had ‘desire’. That’s one word we spoke about. We thought 190 will be par and to restrict them to around 170 was a great effort. To pick up four wickets in eight overs in the middle for 60 runs was a great effort,” added the RCB skipper.
AB de Villiers, who was adjudged the man of the match, said it was a long wait for the team. “Waited for a long time for this (win), so we’re very happy. It’s a very small step in the right direction, but also a big one,” he said.
De Villiers had retired from international cricket to prolong his career in T20 cricket. “I’ve decided not to play international cricket – to be as sharp as I can in the other forms of cricket around the world. Can’t keep playing 10-11 months a year and keep being sharp after 15 of my career,” he said when asked why he quit playing for South Africa.
RCB received a big boost after seasoned South African pacer Dale Steyn was named as a replacement for injured Australian Nathan Coulter-Nile. “It was a fantastic move to get Dale involved. We all know what he’s capable of. One thing for sure is he’ll give 200 per cent with every ball,” asserted the man who is popularly called ABD.
KXIP skipper Ravichandran Ashwin blamed his team for being sloppy on the field. “We let ourselves down in the field. We dropped catches and let a lot of balls go through us. The dew helped the wicket on. It was really dry in the first half. It gets better to bat in the second half,” Ashwin pointed out.
It should also be stated here that Kohli was fined Rs 12 lakh for maintaining a slow-over rate during the game. “As it was his team’s first offence of the season under the IPL’s Code of Conduct relating to minimum over-rate offences, Mr Kohli was fined Rs 12 lakh,” read an IPL statement.