New Delhi: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star batter Virat Kohli said it was a ‘special’ Indian Premier League (IPL) season for the franchise after they qualified for the playoffs following a six-match winning streak in the league stage.
RCB were knocked out of the competition after losing to Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator match at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. But before that, they scripted one of the best IPL comebacks as they finished above defending champion Chennai Super Kings to book a place in the last four after just winning one game after the first eight matches.
Sharing his thoughts on their IPL season, Kohli said he will cherish this always for the character shown by the team on the field.
“We started expressing ourselves, started to play for our self-respect and then the confidence came back. The way we turned things around and qualified was truly special, something that I will always, always cherish and remember, because it took a lot of character from each member of this team, something that we can be really proud of. And eventually, we played the way we wanted to play,” Kohli said in the RCB dressing room.
As always, RCB’s 12th-man army was a vocal supporter of the team throughout the season and captain Faf du Plessis said he was grateful for RCB’s ‘incredible fanbase’.
“We were extremely down halfway through the season. But still the fans, at every stadium, every match, you can hear the chants from a long way away. And once we got the momentum, we just ran with that. Extremely grateful for our incredible fanbase.”
“Sad that we as a group can’t get those final two steps to get to the trophy. But if I look back on the season, from where we were, to where we finished, I am very proud of the boys,” du Plessis said.
Kohli also acknowledged the support of RCB fans, saying their backing has been unwavering every season.
“This season was exactly the same, it wasn’t any different. We are very thankful for that and we will always be grateful for, the way they turn out in numbers, not just in Bangalore but all over the country where we play, so thank you very much for all your support and your wishes,” Kohli signed off.
Kohli is anticipated to bag the Orange Cap for the season after finishing with 741 runs including a century and five fifties. He has a distant gap of more than 150 runs with the second batter on the list among the teams alive in the competition.
(IANS)
