The captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Faf du Plessis was delighted as his team earned a convincing 35-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the 41st game of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season to snap a six-match losing streak.
Though the win against Sunrisers has not helped RCB on the points table as they remain at the bottom, it has given them the confidence they needed after a horrendous beginning to the 17th edition of the IPL.
Notably, RCB were pushing hard for a win in the last few games but weren't able to cross the line by fine margins. Chasing 288 to win against Sunrisers in their previous meeting, RCB were valiant in the chase but fell short by 25 runs in the end.
They suffered another heartbreak against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) when they missed out by a run while chasing 223 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on April 21.
"I forgot I had to speak at the presentation. Every game I just speak after it and walk away. The SRH game was 270+ and we got to 260, then the KKR game as well, just one run. We've been close for a while but you need to win matches to get confidence in the group," said du Plessis during the post-match presentation.
"Massive win for us. When you're not winning it does affect you mentally, it does affect your confidence. You can't speak confidence into the group, you can't fake confidence into the group. The only thing that gives confidence is performance. First half of the competition we felt like we weren't near our potential. And when you're playing at 50% or 60%, you don't get the confidence."
Faf lauded the efforts of Rajat Patidar and Cameron Green who played a major role in helping RCB post 206 on the board batting first.
The South African also opened up on the inclusion of a leg-spinner in the form of Karn Sharma into the playing XI and mentioned that they are looking at him as someone who could aid the team in defending totals and restricting opponents cheaply at their home ground - M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
"Last week and a half we have been working hard to make sure we get better at the game. Rajat getting back-to-back fifties will be great for him. Greeny playing well will be massive to him. It's never going to be just one guy getting the runs.
"(On Karn Sharma) Obviously we know that the Chinnaswamy has been disappointing for us. We are trying to find a recipe where we feel like we can bowl at that ground. And it's been tough for the guys to find a formula. A legspinner, even more so now, you have to have a legspinner in your team."
