IPL 2023: Right through the innings, our bowlers stuck to the plans but last 2-3 overs something to improve on – Faf du Plessis after win against MI

Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Faf du Plessis showered praise on the team’s bowlers after their comprehensive eight-wicket victory against Mumbai Indians at their home venue of M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on Sunday.

RCB bowlers were right on the money and they restricted the visitors to a below-par score of 171 runs after Faf du Plessis won the toss. Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma, and Cameron Green were dismissed in the Powerplay overs by Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, and Reece Topley respectively.

Furthermore, Michael Bracewell accounted for Suryakumar Yadav to put the visitors on the mat. Mohammed Siraj bowled a fiery spell of 1-5 in his first three overs as he was accurate with his line and length.

However, Tilak Varma scored a fighting knock of 84 runs and helped his team post 171 runs on the board. MI scored 48 runs in the last three overs and a lot of credit goes to Varma.

Faf du Plessis said in the post-match presentation, “ Nice to start the way we did. In the powerplay, Siraj had the tail up and he set the tone. Right through the innings, our bowlers stuck to the plans. Obviously, last 2-3 overs are something to improve on. And that second inning, if you want to know how to chase a target, well, that’s how you do it. If you took pace off the ball, it wasn’t too easy to play and there was something in it for the spinners but as a batter, if you got into good positions you could score runs.

On playing at M.Chinnaswamy for the first time as a home player, the South African said, “My first time playing here as a home player and it’s a special player, especially batting with Virat Kohli. Energy bounces off him. You have to stay with the youngsters, I still work hard to be able to move around like I could in the young days. The confidence this gives, all of us are confident players. This start will be huge for us as a team.”

RCB was able to tick the right boxes with the ball and then Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis did the job with the bat. Kohli scored an unbeaten 82 whereas the RCB skipper was awarded the Player of the Match for his fine knock of 73 runs.

RCB will look to build on the momentum of this win in the upcoming matches. The Faf du Plessis-led team will next face KKR at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Thursday.