Former Royal Challengers Bangalore great AB de Villiers shared his views on RCB's success in winning two consecutive titles. He commented that achieving the championship this season was easier than last season, adding that the team now understands the winning formula and knows how to execute it effectively in the finals.
Talking about the summit clash, RCB registered a comfortable five-wicket win over Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on May 31. After opting to bat, GT struggled to build momentum and finished with 155/8 in their allotted 20 overs. Washington Sundar performed brilliantly for Titans and remained unbeaten after scoring 50 runs in 37 balls. In response, Virat Kohli Played a match-winning inning of unbeaten 75 runs with the help of nine fours and three sixes in just 42 balls.
“It was a lot easier than last year, that's for sure. Last year was emotional, and we weren't sure what was going to happen. This year, when I saw Virat before the game started, there was a little more calm confidence. We've been here before, now we know how it works and what the formula is. And what a remarkable achievement, back-to-back IPL champions. I couldn't be more proud,” De Villiers said on Geostar.
The South African legend praised Virat Kohli's patience in the final, saying that his calm approach proved decisive in the chase. He said that Kohli has an amazing understanding of how to pace an innings under pressure and he always knows when to increase the pace. De Villiers said it was fair for Kohli to remain unbeaten and finish the match for RCB.
De Villiers said, “In the final, if you remove him from the batting order chasing the target, everything looks a little different. Rashid Khan is firing from one end, and some of the other GT bowlers are also performing really well, he just brings calmness. He knows how to chase and finish the target throughout the innings.”
“And it's very fitting that he was right there at the end, scoring the winning runs. GT was a bit naughty in letting him show off his power. There were a lot of balls on the legs in his first 20-30 runs. If you give one of the best players of all time a start like that, he will always punish you. Once he started flowing, it was just plain sailing, one-way traffic. To be there at the end and call those final moments absolutely phenomenal. Was,” he concluded.
Get every cricket update! Follow us: :
Leave a Reply