Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s captain Faf du Plessis cracked a joke about skipping the post-game presentation duties. His team finally snapped a six-match losing streak in the IPL 2024. The three-time finalists beat high-flying Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 25 at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
The captain of the losing team does not attend the IPL’s post-match presentation ceremony. During RCB’s losing streak, Faf du Plessis has been exposed to an interview with the broadcasters immediately following the conclusion of the game.
This time, SRH skipper Pat Cummins had to go through the initial interview as the losing captain, while Du Plessis attended the post-match presentation ceremony.
When asked by Murali Kartik about their first win in almost a month, Du Plessis joked about forgetting his way to the event. Here’s what the RCB captain had to say about it:
“I forgot the way to the press conference. Every time I’ve just walked off (laughs). The last two games, we’ve showed great signs of a fight. The last game they scored 270+ and we got 260, the KKR game as well we lost by a run. We’ve played some close games but you have to win matches to get some confidence back in the group… When you don’t win, it affects the team and me as well.”
Faf du Plessis
RCB scored 206 after deciding to bat first and successfully defended the total with perhaps their greatest bowling effort of the season. The visitors kept the powerful SRH batting attack in check, winning by 35 runs and claiming their first away win of the season.
“I’ll sleep a little happier tonight” – Faf du Plessis
RCB must triumph in all their remaining battles to secure a spot in playoffs glory. Their chances dangle precariously by a thin thread. One misstep risks missing the knockout stage yet again, a fate undesirable. The franchise clings to hope, eyes fixed on the coveted top four.
“I’ll sleep a little happier tonight. You can’t speak confidence into a group, you can’t fake confidence into a group. The only thing that gives confidence is performances. In the first half we were not quite near our potential. Obviously you try 100 per cent but if the performances aren’t good, the competition is so strong and the teams are so strong, you’ll get hurt.”
Faf du Plessis
RCB will hope that this triumph marks the beginning of something remarkable. The batting unit performed admirably, with Kohli and Patidar collecting fifties, and the bowling unit provided vital strikes in the second innings.
The Faf du Plessis-led team will meet the Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, April 28.