Faf du Plessis Blasts his Top-Order
Professional analyst 5+ years experience
Posted: April 3, 2024
Last updated: April 4, 2024
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Faf du Plessis expressed significant discontent with his team’s top-order batsmen after falling short against the Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League 2024 match. RCB, which is known for its powerful batting lineup, was expected to chase down the target set by Lucknow but ended up 28 runs behind.
Faf du Plessis, RCB CaptainI think the target was within the reach. We conceded a lot of runs in the powerplay overs, but the bowlers brought us back in the middle and death overs. It was an excellent effort to restrict Lucknow on 181. They were 10-15 runs short.. Our top order didn’t fire again with the bat, and we lost the game. There are a lot of big characters in the dressing room, and they will have to put their hands up to complete the job for the team. The batters will have to bat more responsibly in the remaining games.
Despite his team’s loss, du Plessis held that the Lucknow Super Giants‘ total was attainable, suggesting that they were 10-15 runs short of a par score. This assessment underlines the level of expectation on the RCB batting unit to chase down such totals. However, the RCB batsmen failed to live up to these standards, particularly the top order which du Plessis singled out for criticism.
Mayank Yadav of the Lucknow Super Giants played a pivotal role in derailing RCB’s chase, taking three crucial wickets that included the prized scalps of batting maestros Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell, as well as Cameron Green. This performance was a hammer blow to RCB’s aspirations of a successful run chase, further highlighting the shortcomings of their batting performance.
In his post-match commentary, Faf du Plessis didn’t shy away from admitting the collective failure of RCB’s key batters, emphasizing the need for players to step up and take more responsibility in the upcoming matches to secure wins for the team. His words served as a reminder that individual brilliance needs to be converted into consistent performances that contribute to the team’s success.
While the captain was critical of the batting, he didn’t forget to commend his bowlers. He praised the RCB bowling attack for getting the team back into the contest after what was a challenging powerplay phase for them. This effort from the bowlers to claw the game back highlighted the potential within the team, which will need to be harnessed in a holistic manner moving forward.
The match performance has sent a clear signal to the RCB top-order that their contribution is vital for the team’s success and that the remaining games in the IPL season will require a heightened sense of duty and performance to ensure they remain contenders for the coveted title.
19:30 IST
