Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter Virat Kohli addressed fans for the first time since the team's exit from IPL 2024. "Thank you once again to all the RCB fans for making us feel loved and appreciated as always," Kohli wrote on Instagram.
Virat Kohli's Instagram post appreciating RCB fans:
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Kohli, the tournament's leading run-scorer with 741 runs in 15 matches at an average of 61.75, played a pivotal role in Bengaluru's turnaround during the second half.
Bengaluru began with just one win in their first eight matches and appeared on the verge of elimination. However, they staged a remarkable comeback, winning six consecutive matches, including a crucial victory over defending champions Chennai Super Kings in the final league stage game, to secure a playoff berth. Their journey ended with a heartbreaking loss to the Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator.
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Kohli credited the team's fighting spirit for their playoff berth.
Earlier, Kohli spoke about the team's resurgence. "Fighting for self-respect when everything seemed lost propelled Bangalore to six successive wins and earned them a place in the IPL 2024 Eliminator," Kohli said.
"We started expressing ourselves, started to play for our self-respect and then the confidence came back," Kohli told RCB. "The way we turned things around and qualified for the playoffs was truly special, something that I will always cherish and remember, because it took a lot of character from each member of this team, something that we can be really proud of," he added.
Bengaluru lost seven of their first eight games but a remarkable comeback saw them win the next six, including a thrilling final league-stage fixture against Chennai that secured a playoff berth and an Eliminator showdown against Rajasthan.
Bengaluru set a modest 172-8 target in the Eliminator, which Rajasthan chased down in 19 overs for a six-wicket victory.
Bangalore captain Faf du Plessis, who took over from Kohli two seasons ago, echoed the sentiment of a missed opportunity.
"The last six games have been really special given the way we turned it around," Du Plessis said. "When you do something that special, your hopes are to do something even more special. We were extremely down halfway through the season. And once we got the momentum, we just ran with that," he added.
Head coach Andy Flower spoke about the importance of a varied bowling attack for success at Bangalore's home ground.
"Raw pace alone will never be enough to win T20s at Chinnaswamy where bowlers with different skill-sets, executing a specific plan will be required in the Bangalore set-up," Flower said after the team's exit.
