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Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) suffered a comprehensive 59-run defeat against Delhi Capitals (DC) at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Monday.
After being put in to bat, DC scored 196/4, thanks to Marcus Stoinis and Prithvi Shaw, who shined with the bat. Shaw scored 42 off 23 balls while Stoinis smashed 53 from 26 deliveries. It was Stoinis’ second half-century in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020.
Stoinis was well supported by wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant who slammed 37 off 25 balls, including five boundaries.
When it comes to the chase, RCB batsmen were never made to settle by the DC bowlers. They kept on losing wickets at regular intervals and could only manage to reach 137/9, losing the contest by 59-runs.
After the match, RCB skipper Virat Kohli talked about the mistakes they committed in the game, especially in the fielding department. Kohli was referring to Stoinis’ dropped catch by Yuzvendra Chahal when the Aussie all-rounder was on 30 runs.
“Those important chances in between, we need to grab when the opportunity comes our way, it is not like we are dropping half chances, we are dropping sitters, and those things hurt you,” said Kohli.
“We got into the game after the first six, and then Stoinis batted really well in the end, we gave him a life, he took the game away from us,” he added.
Morris will add more dimension to the squad: Kohli
Kohli heaped praises on DC, stating that they have a pretty balanced side with fearless batting lineup and good bowling attack. The Delhi-born cricketer opined that they have to bring their A-game to beat a team like Capitals.
“They (Delhi) are playing some good cricket. Their batting line up is fearless, they have a good balance in the side, their bowling line up is pretty good too, and they will be hard to beat, I wouldn’t say unbeatable, but they are a tough side to beat. Against such sides, we have to bring our A-game and maximum intensity which I don’t think we did tonight,” the 31-year-old remarked.
Kohli further spoke about the availability of South African all-rounder Chris Morris. He said that inclusion of Morris would bring more balance to RCB squad.
“Chris (Morris) was really close to playing today as well but couldn’t make it. We have four days before the next game; once he comes back into the squad, it is a different balance altogether. The good thing is we have won three out of five, we have lost two where we haven’t played good cricket, so I think it is about rectifying those small mistakes,” concluded Kohli.
