Follow UsRoyal Challengers Bangalore endured a tough night at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday, May 9, as the home team recorded an emphatic six-wicket win to move up to 12 points in the table.
After being asked to bat first, the visiting side were reeling at 16 for the loss of two wickets before Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell joined forces in the middle. The duo stitched a 120-run stand for the third wicket and slammed half-centuries to help the team lay a solid foundation in the first innings.
However, they were dismissed in the span of two overs, which stemmed the flow of runs and restricted Bangalore to 199 runs in the first innings.
"We certainly felt that we were probably 10 short and the way the tournament has gone, especially at the Wankhede. We lost three wickets in the middle phase in the form of Maxwell, Faf and Lomror, and we just could not get the impetus with those extra 10 runs," said Sanjay Bangar in the post-match press conference.
"If you look at the last five overs, we could not get the runs. I feel 210 chase would have been slightly challenging. But credit to Surya and Nehal, who built a crucial partnership and never let us come back in the game."
The Bangalore outfit were further dented with their designated finisher Dinesh Karthik feeling unwell, and Bangar stated he was dehydrated due to the excessive heat.
"During the course of the innings, Dinesh Karthik started feeling unwell, he was a bit dehydrated, and on his way back, he also vomited. There is enough gap for us, maybe three-four days, so with medicine, I think he should be fine. He is an important member for us, and he has a big role to play," he said.
Over the years, Bangalore have been known to be heavily reliant on their key player, and this season was no different. The Head Coach of the side admitted the need for young Indian players to put their hand up and shoulder the responsibility of the side.
"For us, the team was built in such a way that Maxwell, Faf, Virat and Dinesh were going to be the fulcrum of the batting, and the younger players would play around them."
"It was a setback for us when we missed a high-quality player in Rajat Patidar before the start of the season. We were hoping he would be available after three or four games which was the initial indication given to us."
"Our young Indian batters are not progressing at a very good rate. Lomror has been someone who has taken his chances well. But somebody like Anuj Rawat or Shahbaz Ahmed, whenever they have got those opportunities, unfortunately, they have not been able to capitalize on it."
"You have to be patient with younger players, and you can perhaps try to relate it to the example of Rinku Singh with the kind of the work KKR did with him is now paying off," he added.
One of the significant disappointments for Bangar in this clash was the lack of intent shown by the bowling unit. "We did not compete, I mean, winning and losing is part of the game, but had the game gone down the wire till the 20th over, it would have been acceptable."
"But around the 12th over phase, we just felt like we were never in the game, and that is not what we are proud of as a team. I am sure that the team is disappointed, and we will come back stronger from this defeat," he concluded.
Royal Challengers Bangalore now travel to Jaipur for an afternoon encounter against Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Sunday, May 14.