Dinesh Karthik was one of the three half-centurions for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the game against Mumbai Indians (MI) on Thursday (April 11). Faf du Plessis (61 off 40) and Rajat Patidar (50 of 26) batted well but it was the death overs show from Karthik that helped RCB post a total of 196 runs on the board in their 20 overs. He smashed an unbeaten 53 off just 23 balls with five fours and four sixes that gave a glimmer of hope for the RCB fans at the end of the first innings.
But MI batters blew them away on a dewy evening as the five-time champions gunned down the 197-run target in just 15.3 overs. It was the fifth loss in six matches for RCB this season and they are entering a must-win zone sooner than expected. Expectedly, the morale in the dressing room was not great after such a crushing loss but Karthik who won the player of the match in the team insisted that they can still turn it around this season and that the players need to dig deep.
He also noted that how passionate the fans have been supporting the team over the years. Moreover, he also assured everyone that there are quality players available in the dressing room and it is just a matter of them clicking as a team now. "First of all, I want to say, I know it's been hard for all of us. A lot harder for the fans, we all know how passionate they are. It's not easy. All I can say is we are putting in all the efforts. Nothing comes easy. We'll try our best. Most importantly, it's been a hard couple of weeks.
"But I can tell you the quality is available in the room. It's only a matter of making sure we dig deep and do something really special for ourselves, for our pride but most importantly for RCB fans who've been supporting us for all these years. I am sure they'll keep supporting us," Karthik said in a video posted on X by RCB handle. They are scheduled to face Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) next on Monday (April 15) and it is a massive encounter for RCB as they look to end their four-match losing streak.
