Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli rued a poor batting display after they got knocked out of the IPL 2020, courtesy a six-wicket loss at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Eliminator in Abu Dhabi.
Asked to bat first, RCB posted only 131/7 in 20 overs. It was a listless performance as none of them besides AB de Villiers (56 off 43 balls) managed to touch the 35-run mark.
In reply, SRH overhauled the target in 19.4 overs with 6 wickets in hand. After losing the top three wickets early, Kane Williamson anchored the chase and remained unbeaten on 44-ball 50 while Holder played a valuable cameo of 20-ball 24* to see the team through.
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"If you talk about the first innings I don't think we had enough runs on the board. We made one helluva game in the second half, the positions we got ourselves into in the second half. But it is a game of margins and if Kane was taken there then it is a different ball game. Altogether they put us under a lot of pressure in the first innings. Few soft dismissals, few fortunate ones for them as well," Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
"We just didn't have enough runs on the board in my opinion. Maybe a bit of nerves, bit of hesitation. We had to be more expressive with the bat. We didn't have any phases where we got away from the opposition. We allowed bowlers to bowl where they wanted to. Didn't put them under enough pressure. We hit a few balls straight to the fielders in the last 3-4 games. It's been a strange phase of 4-5 games for us. Tonight, just didn't have enough," he added.
Kohli, however, was pleased with a few positives like Devdutt Padikkal, who aggregated more than 400 runs in his debut season.
"Couple of people stood up - Devdutt, Siraj had a good comeback. Yuzi and AB have been solid as ever," he said. "Couple of good positives, and Devdutt is one of them. Getting 400+ runs in your first edition is never easy and Devdutt has done that with class and efficiency. Others contributed, but maybe just not enough in the end."
RCB had won 7 out of their first 10 games while they suffered 5 successive defeats in the business end of the tournament.
When asked about this, Kohli said it shows how competitive the tournament is.
"That tells you the strength of teams in the IPL. No team is runaway favourites. You don't have home and away, so everyone knows the conditions. When conditions are same, the real strength of teams comes out. This is the most competitive IPL till now and it continues to be so," he said.
"It was amazing to be able to have the opportunity to come out and play. There's a bigger picture, and we all are contributing to that. Thanks to the fans who watched us, we're privileged to be a part of it and give some happiness to the fans."
