Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) kicked off their IPL 2023 campaign with a massive win over five-time champions Mumbai Indians. RCB chased down the target of 172 with ease, thanks to a scintillating knock from skipper Virat Kohli who scored 82 off 49 balls. Faf du Plessis also played a crucial role in the chase, scoring 73 off 43 balls. RCB has been a part of IPL since its inception in 2008 but is yet to win the coveted trophy.
Despite criticism for not winning a trophy, Kohli stated that RCB is a big franchise with high expectations from fans. He also praised the team’s social media presence and jokingly stated that they only need to win a social media trophy to secure an IPL victory. Kohli emphasized that their massive fan following is a testament to their status as a big team.
“Our social media performance is miles ahead of everyone. Get a trophy there, then watch. You bring one social media trophy and see how RCB will win. No competition only. Two weeks into the tournament, we will win. Don’t need to play the last few games; 4-5 enough,” Kohli said.
“This is big franchise pressure. Lot of people take it as all fun and games like ‘This team doesn’t win’. Come and play, when there are so many expectations. We’re a big team. Otherwise, why would we have so many so fans if we were some faaltu team,”
In the first innings, RCB’s bowling unit was all over Mumbai’s batters, restricting them to 171/7 in their allotted 20 overs. Tilak Varma played a heroic knock of 84* off 46 balls to bail MI out of trouble. All of RCB’s bowlers were amongst the wickets, except Glenn Maxwell.
RCB will look to continue their winning run when they face Kolkata Knight Riders on April 6, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The dominant victory over MI in the IPL 2023 opener has set the tone for RCB’s campaign and given them confidence.
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