"Thank you for showing us what a little belief can do" - Nicholas Pooran on RCB's incredible turnaround in IPL 2024
Nicholas Pooran has lauded Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for staging a miraculous turnaround to qualify for the IPL 2024 playoffs. The team's juggernaut came to a screeching halt with a four-wicket loss to Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Eliminator on Wednesday, May 22.
Bengaluru failed to defend a 173-run target at the Narendra Modi Stadium in the knockout fixture. Following the team's exit, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) batter Nicholas Pooran lauded RCB for their impressive run in the second half of the competition.
Sharing an Instagram story after the IPL 2024 Eliminator, Pooran wrote:
"Thank you Royal Challengers Bengaluru for showing us what a little belief can do."
It is worth mentioning that RCB were languishing at the bottom of the points table after managing just a solitary win from their first eight games. They bounced back stunningly, winning six matches on the trot to finish fourth in the standings after the league stage.
"Takes a lot of heart and character" - Skipper Faf du Plessis on RCB qualifying for the IPL 2024 playoffs
RCB captain Faf du Plessis praised his teammates for showing a lot of character after a dismal start to the season. He mentioned that he was proud of what the team has achieved.
Speaking about Bengaluru's defeat in the Eliminator, du Plessis suggested that they were about 20 runs short, with dew being a big factor in the run chase.
He said at the post-match presentation:
"With the dew coming, we felt we were short with the bat. Did think we were 20 runs shy of what was a good score. Credit to the boys - they fought really well. That's all you can ask for. If you look at naturally assessing the pitch and conditions, you would say it's a 180 pitch because it was swinging upfront and was quite slow. But what we've found out this season, with the impact player, the par score isn't enough any more. Also with the dew coming in."
"Extremely proud. Lot of teams - their wheels would've fallen off after 1 from 9. To come back like that, six games in a row, takes a lot of heart and character. We weren't special tonight in terms of pushing that extra 20 runs with the bat," the South African added
RR will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday, May 24, in Qualifier 2. The winner of the clash will compete against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the summit clash at the same venue on Sunday, May 26.