"The intensity with which we started with the ball was incredible" - Faf du Plessis on RCB's commanding win over MI in IPL 2023

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Faf du Plessis heaped praise on his team's effort to defeat the Mumbai Indians (MI) by eight wickets at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday, April 2.

After opting to field, RCB's new-ball bowlers set the tone for the hosts by reducing MI to 20-3 in the powerplay.

While the visitors bounced back to post 171-7 on the board, their initial struggle proved to be their downfall as RCB chased down the score with over three overs to spare.

RCB v MI: Dressing Room Victory Celebration

Captain Faf leads from the front off the field as well, as the team prepares to bring finesse into the team song. Here’s more from last night’s win against MI.

#PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB #IPL2023 https://t.co/h8JnkaIn97

Praising the manner with which RCB began the proceedings with the new ball and reserving praise for their efforts on the field, Du Plessis said on RCB Game Day:

"The intensity with which we started with the ball was incredible. Siraj with his tail up, take the tone for us and I thought, in the field, that was as good as a performance you would see from the fielding unit, I was really proud of that. The way the guys are putting their bodies on the line."

Du Plessis continued:

"Even Reece, if you look, there were a lot of occasions for a big tall guy to put his body on the line. It was amazing for me to see, but then obviously the partnership with Virat tonight was as good as it gets to be a part of, but also in front of a crowd like that where the energy is pumping and you have got so many fans waiting to see Virat bat and shouting my name as well."

RCB fielders dived all over the place to keep a stranglehold on the MI batters and save some valuable runs. One such acrobatic effort, unfortunately, took Reece Topley out of the contest.

The England pacer had apparently dislocated his shoulder and was ruled out of the match.

"The conversations and chats with Virat in the middle were all positive" - Faf du Plessis

MI had valuable momentum with their side after going berserk in the death overs to post a respectable total on the board. However, it was all quashed by Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli as the duo smashed the MI bowlers to all parts of the ground.

The pair's 148-run partnership for the opening wicket not only took MI out of the game but also boosted RCB's net run rate early on in the tournament.

The King struck at 1️⃣6️⃣7️⃣.3️⃣ with 6x4️⃣s & 5x6️⃣s 🤌

Just another Chase Master classic at the Chinnaswamy 🤷‍♂️

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Recalling the partnership with the ace batter in the second innings, Du Plessis said:

"The conversations and chats with Virat in the middle were all positive, We were both very motivated to play an attacking brand. Obviously, you want to give yourselves six balls to get yourselves in and then there was real intention to take on the bowlers. I thought the way we did it, the method, was really good."

Praising Kohli's passion and intensity, Du Plessis continued:

"It was pure cricket shots, we were not trying to overhit the ball. We complement each other really well in the way that we play, I love batting with him, he has just got so much passion and intensity. I find myself fist bumping a lot more than I would normally just because of the energy that the two of us have."

RCB will next face the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens on Thursday, April 6.

Will RCB finally get their hands on the IPL trophy in 2023? Let us know what you think.