IPL 2023: We were at least 20 runs short – Faf du Plessis after loss against Mumbai Indians

Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Faf du Plessis admitted they were at least 20 runs short after their six-wicket loss against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Tuesday. RCB posted 199-6 after Rohit Sharma won the toss and decided to bowl first.

Virat Kohli and Anuj Rawat were dismissed cheaply in the first three overs and it once again put RCB under the pump. However, Faf du Plessis continued his purple patch as he scored 65 runs from 41 balls whereas Glenn Maxwell also scored 68 runs from 33 balls as he scored more than two runs/ball.

However, RCB failed to finish on a high and the South African feels they were short of a par score in the context of the wicket. On the other hand, Ishan Kishan gave a rollicking start to his team as he smashed 42 runs from only 21 balls after Rohit Sharma was once again dismissed cheaply.

The match-winning innings was played by in-form Suryakumar Yadav, who smashed a magnum opus knock of 83 runs off just 35, taking RCB’s bowlers to the cleaners.

SKY was once again able to hit the ground running and he added 140 runs with left-hander Nehal Wadhera, who scored a fantastic unbeaten knock of 52 runs from 34 balls.

In fact, the RCB bowlers could not stem the flow of runs as they were taken to the cleaners by Suryakumar Yadav, who batted at his sublime best.

Meanwhile, RCB could only manage 47 runs in the last five overs and Faf feels they could not capitalize at the fag end of the innings, which led to their downfall.

Faf du Plessis said in the post-match presentation, “I think we were at least 20 runs short, in context of the wicket. They are a strong chasing team and they bat deep. We didn’t capitalise in the last five overs, disappointed due to the lack of runs in those five overs. You need to say 200 is a good score (to motivate the players), needed to make sure you take the pace off. They capitalized the first 6 overs with the pace on.”

Royal Challengers Bangalore will next take on Rajasthan Royals on Sunday at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur.