In what was a must-win game for RCB to qualify for the IPL 2023 playoffs, star batter Virat Kohli stepped up to the plate against Gujarat Titans (GT) at Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday (May 21).
Opening the innings, Kohli slammed 101 not out off 61 balls, propelling RCB to a massive 197/5 in 20 overs. It was Virat’s second successive hundred in the ongoing IPL and his knock was studded with 13 fours and 1 six.
However, his century went in vain as Shubman Gill’s sensational 104* off 52 balls took GT over the line with six wickets in hand and five deliveries to spare.
With this defeat, RCB were also eliminated from the playoffs race while Mumbai Indians joined GT, CSK and LSG in the last-four stage.
Speaking after the game, RCB skipper Faf Du Plessis said they are fairly disappointed by the loss but congratulated Shubman Gill and GT for their win.
“We are very disappointed. We get to the last game of the tournament and we wanted to make sure we get through. But kudos to Gill and Gujarat they are a very strong side but we wish we could have won this one,” said Du Plessis at the post-match presentation ceremony.
The RCB captain added that Virat Kohli batted brilliantly to give them a chance against the defending champions.
“Virat played brilliantly to give us a chance. From a batting perspective the top 4 contributed well, Maxwell was incredible and so were Virat and I. From a bowling perspective we were really good, and consistent through the powerplay and in the middle. We could have gotten a few more runs and a few more wickets, things could have been different,” he further stated.
In the end, Faf du Plessis acknowledged that RCB need to improve in terms of finishing games towards the backend, saying other teams have big hitters coming in at number 5 or 6.
“We need to improve in terms of finishing games at the backend. DK had a purple patch last season where he finished a lot of the games but the same could not be replicated this time around. If you look at the other teams they have 5 or 6 big hitters and that's the difference when it comes to winning the crucial game,” he concluded.
