LUCKNOW
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) director of cricket, Mo Bobat, has praised his team’s fighting spirit following a heartbreaking nine-run defeat to the Lucknow Super Giants. Despite the loss, Bobat highlighted the “great character” shown by captain Rajat Patidar and batter Devdutt Padikkal during a high-stakes run chase at the Ekana Stadium.
Chasing a massive target of 213 in a rain-shortened 19-over match, RCB faced an early disaster. Both openers fell quickly, including star batter Virat Kohli, who was dismissed for a duck. However, Patidar and Padikkal stabilized the innings with a brave 95-run partnership. Patidar led from the front, smashing a brilliant 61 off just 31 balls, while Padikkal added a steady 34 to keep the dream alive.
“It is rare for our openers to fall so early,” Bobat said, noting that the duo did an excellent job of absorbing pressure before attacking the bowlers. He credited them for shifting the momentum back in RCB’s favor, which allowed power-hitter Tim David to nearly pull off a miracle with a late 40-run cameo.
Bobat also gave credit to Lucknow’s bowlers, specifically Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Krunal Pandya, for their disciplined spells. While disappointed to miss out on the win, the RCB camp is already looking forward.