NEW DELHI: After losing to Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the
Eliminator
on Wednesday,
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
(RCB) players
Virat Kohli
, skipper Faf Du Plessis, and wicketkeeper-batter
Dinesh Karthik
reminisced on ups and downs, but an inspirational and unforgettable Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
IPL ORANGE CAP | IPL PURPLE CAP
After a terrible first half and a winning run of six games, RCB's incredible journey eventually came to an end on Wednesday as they lost to RR by four wickets in the eliminator at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium.
After winning just one of their first eight games, RCB was on the verge of elimination. However, they responded with six straight victories, including a virtual knockout of the defending champion Chennai Super Kings (CSK), to secure the final playoff spot based on net-run-rate. It was a memorable season for RCB.
Nevertheless, with the defeat to RR, the 17-year-old's protracted trophy wait continues. However, the team has received a lot of praise from supporters and analysts for their performance this season.
In a video posted by RCB's official X handle, Virat said that the first half of the season was an under-par performance from the franchise and they were not able to live up to their standards as cricketers. But he will cherish and remember the way his team bounced back from adversity.
"To be really honest, the first half of the season was a really under-par performance from us. The standards that we have as cricketers, we were not able to live up to them. Then we started expressing ourselves, played for our own self-respect. Our confidence came back. The way we turned things around and qualified was truly special. It is something I will cherish and remember, because it took a lot of character and heart from each member of this team something we can be really proud of and eventually we played the way we wanted to play," he said.
He also thanked the fans for supporting the team and turning up in huge numbers all over India.
Skipper Faf said that the last six games were special for the way RCB turned things around but in the eliminator, they fell short by around 15 runs.
"The first innings was tricky, the ball was moving around and it was a bit slow," he said.
Reflecting on the fan's support even though the team was down and out halfway through the season, Faf said, "We were down halfway through the season. But still the fans, every match, every stadium. We could hear the chants. Once we got that momentum, we ran with it. We are extremely grateful for it. Sad we cannot reach the finals. But from where we were and where we finished, I am really proud of the boys."
Summarising the team's season, Karthik, who likely played his last IPL season, said that the team felt that this could very well be the year when they lift the trophy because of the way they turned things around, but the "hard day" that loomed over their heads happened to be the Eliminator. He also said that dew came in the second innings and it became easy to bat.
"With sports, there is no fairytale ending. There is always a hard day when things do not go your way. It was that day. As it is in the evening games, dew came and it became easy to bat on. But still, we should be proud of the fight we put up. That is all we can ask for. Attitude matters. The belief in wanting to do something special matters. On both counts, RCB had a really special season. A season where a lot of people will look at and say 'Wow, good effort'. We are proud of ourselves and I also hope fans are also proud of us for what we have done this year," said Karthik.
The Royals will now meet Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Qualifier 2 on Friday in Chennai to decide who plays Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the final on Sunday.
(With ANI inputs)
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