IPL 2018: AB de Villiers Reveals RCB Are Set to Fight for Playoff Spot

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batsman AB de Villiers has revealed that his team will continue to fight for the playoff spot after their comprehensive win against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP).

A collective effort from bowlers had reduced Kings to a paltry 88 on a batting track. The openers did the job in style by finishing the match inside nine overs. This had helped their Net Run-Rate and are on track to reach playoffs if other results go their way.

After their massive win, de Villiers has expressed his delight over his side’s performance in his column in Times of India.

“Well, that’s one way to meet the challenge of containing the opposing batsmen in the last five overs of their innings: bowl them out in 15 overs!,” wrote De Villiers.

Quick read: IPL 2018: 50th Match: MI vs KXIP – Mumbai Indians Predicted XI

The team is currently placed in the seventh position of IPL points table with 10 points in 12 games. However, two wins in their last two games could still see them get to playoffs.

But the task is not going to get any easier as they are going to host table-toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and travel to Sawai Mansingh Stadium to face Rajasthan Royals (RR).

“We knew we had to win each of our last four league matches. There is still plenty of work to be done, at home against Sunrisers Hyderabad and away against Rajasthan Royals, and we still have no room for error, but you never know. Two down and two to go, we are fighting,” de Villiers added.

AB de Villiers Appreciates Team’s Mindset:

Despite their close losses in IPL in the early phases of the season, Royal Challengers looked collective as a team in recent games. They managed to play like a unit in their two wins against Delhi Daredevils (DD) and Kings XI in particular.

On the other hand, their key batsmen Virat Kohli and de Villiers are getting into their groove especially in recent games. This is definitely one of the most positive outcomes especially during the final phase of the league stage games.

“RCB are not going quietly. Our collective mindset is strong. After playing in Delhi, we faced a long day of travelling on Monday, featuring huge storms. Nobody complained, nobody moaned,” de Villiers added.

The onus is on Royal Challengers players to deliver performances in unison in their final two games. If they can get their act together, there will not be many teams around the league who can stop them from winning.

Also read: IPL 2018, Match 50, Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab – Match Prediction