New Delhi: Now that they have risen to the top of the Indian Premier League standings, Royal Challengers Bengaluru would push to remain their and qualify for the play-offs, their skipper Rajat Patidar said.
In his first year as skipper, Patidar has driven the team to eight wins in 11 matches to take them to the summit of the points table with 16 points.
They defeated Chennai Super Kings by two runs at their him ground of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday to complete a league ‘double’ over the five-time champions.
With three more rounds left, RCB aim to win all of their remaining league stage matches to enter the play-offs as toppers, and have the safety net of playing in the qualifier 1 instead of the Eliminator.
“It’s a positive to be on top, we are not aiming for the qualification, three matches are more crucial and we will try our best in all the three matches,” Patidar said after their win on Saturday.
RCB were asked to bat first and half centuries from Jacob Bethell (55, 33 balls, 8×4, 2×6), Virat Kohli (62, 33 balls 5×4, 5×6) and Romario Shepherd (53 not out off 14 balls, 4×4, 6×6) took them to 213 for five.
In reply, CSK were in the hunt through Ayush Mhatre 48-ball 94 with five sixes and nine fours and veteran Ravindra Jadeja’s unbeaten 77 off 45 balls, including eight boundaries and two sixes.
But they fell short by two runs, unable to score 15 runs off the last six balls, bowled by Yash Dayal, for which Patodar credit their display of courage under pressure.
“It was a tight game but credit goes to the batsmen the way they batted. The way the bowlers shown the courage, it was tremendous. It’s a positive to be on top, we are not aiming for the qualification, three matches are more crucial and we will try our best in all the three matches,” he said.
“He (Yash) is a main bowler of the team, he is a death specialist, it was a clear-cut thought to give the last over to him. Last year also he did well and I’m happy for him.
“I had confidence in Suyash also, till now he has been bowling good overs for RCB. That decision was 50-50 but I backed my bowler and he came good,” he added.
All-rounder Shepherd’s tremendous hitting towards the back-end of RCB’s took them past 200 runs and Patidar said he counted on the West Indian’s ability and South African seamer Lungi Ngidi’s experience in pressure situations.
“Not easy to go straight away to hit those big sixes, he has the power and the skill. I’m enjoying his long sixes. He (Ngidi) is quite an experienced bowler and has played a lot of white-ball cricket and I have confidence in him.”
In his first year as the RCB skipper, Rajat Patidar has driven the team to eight wins in 11 matches to take them to the top of the IPL 2025 points table with 16 points. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
