‘Deserved to lose, we weren't professional enough’ - Virat Kohli lambasts RCB teammates after KKR defeat in IPL 2023

After losing to Kolkata Knight Riders by 21 runs at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on April 26, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s stand-in skipper, Virat Kohli, criticised his teammates and pointed out that their fielding wasn’t up to the mark while the middle order batters once again looked pretty ordinary. The 34-year-old also mentioned that RCB eventually handed the game to the visitors with two drop catches.

Notably, KKR skipper Nitish Rana was dropped twice in the first innings as the 29-year-old went on to score 48 runs off just 21 deliveries. Just when the Knight Riders were struggling to get going, Rana’s innings changed the complexion of the game and Virat mentioned it as one of the reasons behind their fourth defeat in the ongoing IPL 2023 season.

“To be honest we handed over the game to them. We deserved to lose. We weren't professional enough. We bowled well but fielding was not up to standard. This was a freebie handed over to them. In the field, we dropped two chances, that cost us 25-30 runs. When batting, we set us ourselves up very well, but then (suffered) four-five soft dismissals,” Kohli said at the post-match presentation.

Virat Kohli analyses RCB’s performance against KKR

Even though Virat Kohli with his terrific half-century set the tone of the match for RCB but soon after his dismissal, they fell like a house of cards. Analysing their performance, the legendary batter stated that they were one partnership short of winning the game. The 34-year-old also mentioned that the batters cannot give away soft plays and need to take more responsibility.

“Not wicket-taking balls, but we hit straight to the fielders. Even while chasing, after losing wickets, one partnership brought us back in the game. We were one partnership short. We need to stay switched on, and not give away soft plays. We have won one and lost one on the road. It is not something that is making us nervous. We need to win some away games to be in good shape for the later stages of the tournament,” Virat mentioned.

Meanwhile, with this defeat, Bangalore remained fifth on the IPL Points Table while Kolkata moved up to number seven.