Royal Challengers Bengaluru began their title defence in commanding fashion, looking dominant with the bat and clinical with the ball during the opening phase of the season. However, over the last few games, their momentum has started to fade. Three defeats in their previous five matches have dented their campaign, and Thursday’s loss to bottom-placed Lucknow Super Giants proved another setback as they missed the opportunity to climb to the top of the points table. More concerning for RCB has been the manner of those performances. The sharpness and killer instinct that defined them early in the season have been missing in crucial moments with both bat and ball. Their fielding, which was one of the team’s biggest strengths at the start of the tournament, has also dipped noticeably, with several costly errors and missed chances allowing opponents to regain control at key stages of matches.
The defeat against LSG was a major setback for RCB, leaving the team needing to win at least 2 of its remaining 4 matches to secure a playoff spot. After the game, former skipper Virat Kohli delivered a passionate dressing-room speech, reminding the players of the mindset and intensity that helped them win six matches earlier in the season. Kohli urged the squad to step onto the field in the next game with complete enjoyment and excitement.
“Why did we get those six wins? Because we were enjoying, and we were only worried about our standards, and we’re not even looking at the opposition,” Kohli said in the video shared by RCB on X.
“And I want to see absolute enjoyment and excitement to get back in the park, regardless of what the jersey colour on the other side is,” he added.
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Kohli outsmarted by Prince
Meanwhile, Kohli endured a rare off-day during the 213-run chase against Lucknow Super Giants, falling for a two-ball duck to an outstanding delivery from Prince Yadav. The dismissal was cleverly set up by the young pacer. Prince first bowled one that moved away from Kohli, forcing him to stay watchful outside off stump. On the very next ball, he brought one back sharply into the batter, completely deceiving the former RCB skipper. Kohli looked stunned after losing his wicket and remained at the crease for a few seconds in disbelief before slowly making his way back to the pavilion.
