Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli feels his team deserved a spot in the playoffs as they played well in the first half of the league stage.
RCB lost their last league match against Delhi Capitals by six wickets at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi on Monday.
However, they were able to book their place in the last four of the tournament as Delhi Capitals chased down the target of 153 runs in 19 overs. Had DC got to the target in 17.3 overs or less, RCB’s Net run rate would have dropped below Kolkata Knight Riders.
In fact, this loss is RCB’s fourth loss on the trot and they have veered off the track in the business end of the tournament. However, Kohli is delighted that his team has been able to qualify for the playoffs after three long years.
RCB had won seven matches out of their first 10 games but then lost four matches on the bounce. It is crucial to peak at the right time in a tournament like the IPL but RCB haven’t been at their best in the last few games.
It is noticed that Virat Kohli’s side has lacked the intent in the batting department and they would look to pull up their socks in the first eliminator.
Virat Kohli said in the post-match ceremony, “We are happy that we’ve qualified. Top two would’ve been really very nice. But I think we’ve played good enough cricket to earn a qualification spot. You could say just before the qualification, the mindset was a little bit tentative. We’ve got two games to reach the final. We have a shot, an opportunity and that’s all we want as a team”.
RCB will face either SRH or KKR in the Eliminator depending on the result of the match between SRH and MI. If SRH defeats MI, then they will qualify for the playoffs whereas if MI wins, KKR will seal their place in the last four.
RCB had brought their best to the table in the initial phase of the tournament and they would aim to deliver similar performances. Furthermore, there are injury concerns for Chris Morris and Navdeep Saini and Kohli will hope that both of them should be fit for the all-important match.
