RCB skipper Virat Kohli terms loss to KKR as a wake-up call

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Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) faced a humiliating 9-wicket loss to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the second fixture of the second leg of the 2021 Indian Premier League in the UAE. RCB captain Virat Kohli claimed that the side cannot afford another defeat like this in pursuit of their first-ever title. 

RCB skipper Virat Kohli terms loss to KKR as a wake-up call
Virat Kohli will step down from captaincy after the 2021 IPL. (PC: Twitter)

After electing to bat first, RCB never looked in rhythm, especially after the powerplay where they lost wickets in a heap. Kohli’s poor run of form continued across formats as he departed without reaching double figures.

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KKR never allowed the RCB batsmen to settle. AB de Villiers departed for a first-ball duck for the first time since IPL 2016 and Glenn Maxwell did not disturb the scoreboard too much either. They ultimately folded for just 92, which was eventually chased down by the opposition with 10 overs to spare.

Speaking about the loss, which is also RCB’s biggest in terms of overs to spare, Kohli said during the post-match presentation:

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“We were 42 odd for one and then lost about five wickets within 20 runs, which is a very difficult situation to come back from. Bit of a collapse there for us, bit of a wake-up call and might as well have this at the start of the second leg so that we know exactly what we need to work on,”

You can’t afford to lose four or five wickets within 20 runs: Virat Kohli

He also lamented the batting collapse and added he did not expect the dew to set in very quickly. The matches in the UAE are being contested from 6 PM local time. He added:

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“It was important to get a good partnership on this surface. You can’t afford to lose four or five wickets within 20 runs. We didn’t expect that much dew to kick in so early, we couldn’t have predicted that.”

“You can make the argument that we were rusty but as professional cricketers, you are expected to turn up and adjust to the formats, that’s the dynamic of world cricket today.”

This marked the fifth occasion where the franchise failed to score 100 runs in an innings. Out of those five, three have come against KKR.

Royal Challengers Bangalore now have the worst run rate among all the teams and will next face league leaders Chennai Super Kings at Sharjah.

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