‘We were about 15-20 runs short…’: RCB skipper Faf after loss to CSK in IPL opener

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], March 23 (ANI): Following his side's six-wicket loss to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign opener, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Faf Du Plessis said that the team was 15-20 runs short and the pitch was not as bad as they played during their first 10 overs of batting.
CSK kickstarted their new era under the captaincy of Ruturaj Gaikwad with a six-wicket win over RCB in their IPL campaign opener on Friday at their home arena of Chepauk Stadium, with pacer Mustafizur Rahman stealing the show with a four-wicket haul that dismantled the visitors' middle-order before Anuj Rawat and Dinesh Karthik performed a valiant rescue act. Despite RCB taking some crucial wickets, a win was not meant to be for RCB as they fell short with the bat.
Speaking during the post-match presentation, Faf said, "Always when you play, you get a bit of dip after the six overs. Chennai are a very good team in the middle, they squeeze you with their spinners. Maybe we were about 15-20 runs short, the pitch was not as bad as we played in the first 10 overs. They were always ahead in the chase, we tried to squeeze and get a couple of wickets, but in the end, we did not have enough runs. On this pitch, it is always better to bat first. Last year, the record was very skewed towards teams that batted first. The ball started to grip a bit with our spinners. Really good for Dinesh to set up his season, especially for someone who has not played a lot of cricket. Anuj has shown some great promise for us, he showed great composure for a young guy and great power through the backend."
Coming to the match, RCB opted to bat and at one point, was reduced to 78/5, despite a brisk start by skipper Faf (35 in 23 balls, with eight fours). Virat Kohli had a disappointing outing with the bat, scoring 21 in 20 balls with a six. Anuj Rawat (48 in 25 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes) and Dinesh Karthik (38* in 26 balls, with three fours and two sixes). Mustafizur (4/29) was the pick of the bowlers for CSK. RCB scored 173/6 in 20 overs.
In the run chase of 174 runs, Rachin Ravindra (37 in 15 balls, with three fours and three sixes) provided a brisk start to CSK. RCB managed to take some quick and crucial wickets, but Shivam Dube (34* in 28 balls, with four boundaries and six) and Ravindra Jadeja (25* in 17 balls, with a six) guided the defending champions to a six-wicket win with eight balls to spare.
Cameron Green (2/27) was the top bowler for RCB. Mustafizur took home the 'Player of the Match' award. (ANI)