Royal Challengers Bangalore registered a thumping victory against the Mumbai Indians to kick off their campaign in the 2023 Indian Premier League on Sunday, April 3 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Chasing 173 runs, the opening stand between skipper Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli took the hosts home comfortably.
Faf du Plessis slammed 73 runs off 43 deliveries, with five boundaries and six sixes. His opening partner Virat Kohli also put up a good show with a 49-ball 82-run knock. Together the duo added 148 runs powering the side to a win. Speaking about their partnership, Faf du Plessis said after the match,
“That second innings, if you want to know how to chase a target, well, that’s how you do it.”
“If you took pace off the ball, it wasn’t too easy to play and there was something in it for the spinners but as a batter, if you got into good positions you could score runs,” he added.
Talk about leading from the front in the first game of the season 🙌#TATAIPL | #RCBvMI | @RCBTweets
Revisit @faf1307's excellent 73(43)🎥🔽https://t.co/oFvvMMlb50
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 2, 2023
Energy bounces off Virat Kohli: Faf du Plessis
Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Faf du Plessis played his first game at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium as a home player. Speaking about the experience he expressed that it was “special” to play in Bengaluru. Faf du Plessis also spoke about his opening partner Virat Kohli. He said,
“My first time playing here as a home player and it’s special, especially batting with Virat Kohli. Energy bounces off him.”
Faf Du Plessis further expressed that their eight-wicket win against Mumbai Indians will boost the team’s confidence going ahead in the tournament. He said,
“You have to stay with the youngsters, I still work hard to be able to move around like I could in the young days. The confidence this gives, all of us are confident players. This start will be huge for us as a team.”
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.