IPL 2019: Kohli on maiden RCB win - Great feeling to get across the line

Sudhir Gupta 22:47 13/04/2019
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  • A captain's innings from Kohli. Image - @IPL/Twitter.

    Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli was a relieved man after his side finally broke their 2019 Indian Premier League (IPL) duck to record their first win of the tournament by beating Kings XI Punjab.

    Kohli and South African ace AB de Villiers both registered half-centuries as RCB chased down the 174-run target with eights wickets and four balls to spare at Mohali.

    It was the maiden win of the season for the Bengaluru franchise after six straight defeats and the relief on Kohli’s face was evident to see at the end of the game.

    “Great feeling to get across the line,” the RCB and India skipper stated at the post-match ceremony.

    “Couple of games we should have closed out before this. I am not saying we had chances in all games before this but there were a couple of games we should have closed out.

    “After so many setbacks, the guys had desire – that’s one word we spoke about.”

    A similar relief was expressed by de Villiers after his match-winning unbeaten knock of 59 (38).

    “We’ve waited a long time for this one this season. It’s a small step in the right direction but a step nonetheless,” ABD said after being bestowed with the man-of-the-match award.

    For Kings XI Punjab, it was their first defeat of the season at their home ground in Mohali. Expressing his disappointment at the end of the game, KXIP skipper Ravi Ashwin said, “We let ourselves down on the field, but they batted sensibly.”

    “The crowd has been fantastic, and we have a few more games at home and hope we get the same kind of support. We need to string some wins and gain some momentum.”

    With the win, RCB remain rooted to bottom spot in the league table with two points from seven games. Kings XI, meanwhile, remained in fifth spot with eight points from as many matches.

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