RCB vs GT: "Was a bit nervous" - Faf du Plessis admits GT bowlers gave him huge scare

Faf du Plessis-led Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) went head-to-head with the Shubman Gill-led Gujarat Titans (GT) in the 52nd match of the Indian Premier League 2024 (IPL 2024) on Saturday, May 4, at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru entered the match against Gujarat Titans with nothing to lose as they were ranked at the very bottom - 10th place - with just 3 wins and 7 losses in 10 matches and an awful Net Run Rate of -0.415.

Also, heading into the match the head-to-head record between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans stood at 2-2 with the Benguluru-based franchise earning a dominant victory in their previous match in IPL 2024 by 9 wickets and 24 balls remaining.

In IPL 2022, GT defeated RCB by 6 wickets in their first encounter on April 30 before facing an 8-wicket defeat on May 19. In IPL 2023, RCB and GT faced off just once and the latter registered a comprehensive 6-wicket win. 

Talking about their IPL 2024 clash, RCB elected to bowl first in the match and restricted GT to 147 as Mohammed Siraj, Yash Dayal, and Vijaykumar Vyshak picked up two wickets each. Chasing the target, Faf du Plessis (64) and Virat Kohli (42) showcased a batting masterclass and laid a platform for the win. RCB lost some quick wickets but Dinesh Karthik and Swapnil Singh batted well and took RCB to a 4-wicket win. Now after their second IPL 2024 match, the head-to-head record stands at 3-2 in RCB's favour.

We've been really good in the last few games - Faf du Plessis 

Speaking after the match, Faf du Plessis said that they have been really good in the last few matches. Faf du Plessis said:

"We've been really good in the last few games, with both bat and ball. We've been unbelievable in the field as well. The wicket was a bit different, there was a bit more bounce. Wanted to make sure we take that information from the pitch and give it to the bowlers."

Faf du Plessis further lauded the efforts of his players despite a dropped catch and stated:

"Yes, there was a dropped catch but it's the effort that we look for and that was there throughout. The games we've played here have all been high-scoring, anything around 180-190 would've been par. Was important we didn't look at the scoreboard when we went out to bat and try and play the way we play."

Faf du Plessis admitted that he was nervous when RCB lost quick wickets but was delighted to end on a winning side. Faf du Plessis said:

"Was a bit nervous. Probably not the best assessment from us there. Yes, we wanted to go out there and get the total quickly to boost the NRR but probably when we were 4 down, we had to calm down a little bit."

Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be next seen in action when they take on the Punjab Kings in the 58th match of IPL 2024 on May 9.