Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli says his side are “getting in the groove” after moving up to third in the Indian Premier League with a seven-wicket win over the Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday.
Yuzvendra Chahal was named Player of the Match after taking 18-2 as RCB pulled back Rajasthan’s early momentum, having been 77-0 in the ninth over before finishing up at 149-9.
In reply, RCB chased down the target with 17 balls to spare, led by Glenn Maxwell with an unbeaten 50 from 30 balls, while Srikar Bharat made 44 at first drop.
RCB have now claimed back-to-back wins after starting the UAE leg with successive defeats, with Maxwell hitting consecutive half centuries.
“The boys have stepped up, so that’s been key for us,” Kohli said.
“The break was tough as you saw initially. We were blown away in game one. That defeat gave us confidence though.
“The second game we were not quite there either, left 25-30 out there with the bat. But last two games we are going in the right direction.
“Slowly but surely we are getting in the groove.”
Rajasthan’s fade after a promising start is cause for concern, with opener Evin Lewis managing 58 from 37 balls alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal (31 from 22) to give them a positive start.
The Royals lost 27-5 in 31 balls, missing out on plenty of runs, with the defeat leaving them seventh with a 4-7 record.
“To be honest, it’s been a hard week for us, we need to put in a fight as a franchise,” Royals captain Sanju Samson said.
“I’m happy with the effort and intent with the bowling. We don’t have anything to lose. That kind of mindset brings a lot of freedom, have seen some funny things happen. We need to keep on believing and fighting till the last match.”
