Post-match Analysis: Shortcomings in Batting Performance on a Decent Pitch
Faf du Plessis blamed Royal Challengers Bengaluru's loss to Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2024 opening on a poor powerplay performance.
The RCB captain, Du Plessis, got off to a flying start after opting to bat in Chennai, blasting seven fours in the opening three overs. However, du Plessis was bowled by Mustafizur Rahman in the fifth over, and RCB quickly went from 41 for 0 to 42 for 3.
"Unfortunately, we lost a little too many wickets in the first seven overs, so the guys needed to bat a little bit and stabilise the innings again," du Plessis said on the official post-game broadcast. "And, in the end, I felt we were 15 or 20 runs short on a pitch that wasn't as awful as we had played in the first 10 overs.
"When you play here, you feel like you need to jump ahead of the game in the first six overs because CSK is a really good middle-overs squad. For so many years, they have squeezed you with the spinners."
- "They were batting at a place where they were always still in front of the game even though we were pulling it back"
- Faf du Plessis
Anuj Rawat and Dinesh Karthik's 95-run stand enabled RCB recover from 78 for 5 to finish with 173, a score that Karthik claimed was below par halfway through. That proved true, as CSK triumphed with eight wickets in hand.
Rachin Ravindra's flier gave CSK a 62-run lead, but RCB responded with a couple wickets to leave CSK at 110 for 4 in the 13th over. That's when Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja got together. Dube was bombarded with short balls - the IPL has a new two-bouncers-per-over limit - a strategy that forced him out of his comfort zone. But he didn't give it away.
"We were always a little bit behind in terms of trying to get ahead of the game," du Plessis told reporters. "They were batting in a position where they were always in control of the game, even when we were drawing it back. We were attempting to find any way to gain wickets.
"Obviously, Dube wasn't comfortable with the short ball. So, just trying to expose [the weakness] and get some wickets in the middle overs. But in the end, it was clear that there weren't enough runs.
