"It's emotionally straining, there was not a lot of sleep for most of us" - Faf du Plessis on the buildup to IPL 2022 Qualifier 2
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Faf du Plessis acknowledged that the route to the finals is a tough one when the team finishes outside the top two in the points table. The franchise overcame their Eliminator hurdles by securing a 14-run win over the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
After qualifying for the playoffs for the third successive season, RCB are required to string three wins to lay hands on the IPL trophy for the first time. After securing a win in the Eliminator, the three-time finalists now have to defeat the Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad.
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Admitting that the two-month-long tournament is hard on the body as well as mind, Du Plessis said on RCB Match Day:
"When you don't finish in the top two, your run to a final is a tough one. It's hard on the body and mind because the IPL, especially this year has been stretched out. So, there has been good time for recovery. We have had two months of cricket so, you are a little bit more stretched out towards the end and same thing mentally."
Claiming that several players are short on sleep following the delayed finish at Eden Gardens, he added:
"It's emotionally straining, there was not a lot of sleep for most of us because we got back quite late because the game started late."
The contest in Kolkata saw a late finish since the start was delayed due to a slight drizzle. The toss saw a delay of 20 minutes while the match began at 8:10 PM IST. RCB were required to travel to Ahmedabad, the venue for Qualifier 2 and the final after their triumph.
"It was just having that really calm dressing room where guys are not hyping up a must-win game" - Du Plessis
After securing a win in their last league contest against the Gujarat Titans (GT), RCB were dependent on the result between the Delhi Capitals and the Mumbai Indians (MI) for a spot in the top four.
The franchise held a screening where the entire contingent witnessed the clash taking place at the Wakhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Opining that the celebrations following their qualification were needed to get the emotions out of their system ahead of the crunch fixtures, Du Plessis said:
"It was a great occasion the other night when we were celebrating our qualification as a team. There were extremely high emotions, that's because we did not have anything in our control."
Du Plessis concluded:
"For me it was important before these games, we brought those emotions down a little bit. It was just having that really calm dressing room where guys are not hyping up a must-win game."
🏻
WINNER TAKES ALL. 👊🏻
Stage is set. ✅
It’s GAME ON. ⚔️
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RCB will take on RR in IPL 2022 Qualifier 2 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on May 27 (Friday).