Image Credit- AFP
Faf du Plessis
blamed Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s poor batting performance during the
powerplay for the team’s defeat over Chennai Super Kings in the opening IPL
2024 match.
After choosing to bat in Chennai, RCB captain Du Plessis got off to a flying
start, hitting seven fours in the first three overs. However, du Plessis was
bowled out by Mustafizur Rahman in the fifth over, and RCB quickly collapsed
from 41 for 0 to 42 for 3.
“Unfortunately, we lost a little bit too many wickets in that first seven
overs, which meant that the guys needed to bat a little bit and stable the
innings again,” du Plessis said on the official broadcast after the game.
“And, at the end, I felt we were 15 or 20 runs short on a pitch that
wasn’t as bad as we played in the first ten overs.
“When you play here, you feel like you have to almost get ahead of the
game a little bit in that first six overs because CSK is a very good team in
the middle overs. For so many years, they squeeze you with the spinners.”
RCB recovered from
78 for 5 thanks to a 95-run partnership between Anuj Rawat and Dinesh Karthik,
finishing with a score that Karthik, at the midway point, indicated was below
par. That was accurate, as CSK prevailed with eight balls remaining.
After a 62-run powerplay thanks to Rachin Ravindra’s flyer, RCB responded with
a few wickets to put CSK at 110 for 4 in the 13th over. At that point, Shivam
Dube and Ravindra Jadeja bonded. Due to the new two bouncers per over rule in
the IPL, Dube was frequently hit with short balls, which forced him out of his
comfort zone. But he kept it a secret.
“We were always a little bit behind in terms of trying to get ahead of the
game,” du Plessis said. “They were batting at a place where they were
always still in front of the game even though we were pulling it back. We were
trying to somehow find some opportunity to get wickets.
“Obviously, Dube there you could see, with the short ball, he wasn’t
comfortable with that. So, just trying to expose [the weakness] and trying to
get some wickets through the middle overs. But at the end, it showed it just
was not enough runs.”