Following his side’s first-ever Indian Premier League (IPL) title win, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star batter Virat Kohli dedicated the win to the state of Bengaluru and opened up on how he wants to go forward for the rest of his franchise cricket career.
Virat’s wait for a maiden IPL title win came to an end as spectacular bowling from RCB helped them defeat Punjab Kings (PBKS) by six runs in an absolute thriller of a final at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday.
Speaking about his career in the post-match interview, Virat said that he is still finding ways to improve and make an impact on the field for the entirety of 20 overs.
“Well, I have an opportunity to play this game for not many years. So there is an end date to our career, as you know. And by the time that I hang up my boots, I want to sit at home and say I gave it everything I had. So I look for ways to improve. I cannot play as an impact player, I want to feel 20 overs and make an impact in the field. That is the kind of player I have been. And God blessed me with that perspective, with the talent. And then you find different ways to help the team,” said the star batter.
“This management, this group of players, has been outstanding, to be honest. They have gotten the right kind of players, match winners, people who take the game on. In the auction, a lot of people questioned our tactics. But by day two, we were very happy with what we had. And we had a lot of confidence in the strength of this group. And I want to give a big shout-out to this team. It would not have been possible without each and every one in the squad, in the playing XI, the management backing the players, keeping us positive throughout when the going got tough. So it is everyone’s . I do not want to stand here and talk about myself. There is a lot that is spoken about me already. This win is for Bangalore. And it is for each and every one of the players, and the families, and the whole management as well,” he concluded.
Coming to the match, PBKS won the toss and elected to bowl first. Arshdeep Singh (3/40) and Kyle Jamieson (3/48) applied timely breaks with the ball, while Yuzi Chahal (1/37) also prevented batters from attacking. While Virat (43 in 35 balls, with three fours) tried to keep the innings together, skipper Rajat Patidar (26 in 16 balls, with a four and two sixes), Jitesh Sharma (24 in 10 balls, with two fours and two sixes) and Liam Livingstone (25 in 15 balls, with two fours) upped the attack enough to help RCB post 190/9 in 20 overs.
In the run-chase, PBKS started well with Priyansh Arya (24 in 19 balls, with four boundaries) and Prabhsimran (26 in 22 balls, with two sixes) stitching a 43-run stand. Josh Inglis (39 in 23 balls, with a four and four sixes) and Shashank Singh (61* in 30 balls, three wins and six sixes) tried their level best to keep up with the rising run rate, but Krunal Panddya (2/17), Yash Dayal (1/18) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/38) put a fine show with the ball to restrict PBKS to 184/7, despite a sensational 22 runs smashed by Shashank in the final over while needing 29.
The title wait continues for PBKS, who reached their second final and their first in 11 years. (ANI)
