"RCB the better team today" - AB de Villiers reacts to Bengaluru's heartbreaking 1-run loss to KKR in IPL 2024

AB de Villiers believes Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) were the better team in their loss against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in IPL 2024 at Eden Gardens on Sunday, April 21.

KKR eked out a narrow one-run victory over RCB, successfully defending a 223-run target. Bengaluru fought hard while chasing the stiff total but were ultimately bundled out for 221 in the last-over thriller.

De Villiers, who has been an integral part of RCB in the past reflected on the match. He pointed out how Bengaluru found themselves in a spot of bother after succumbing to yet another loss. He, however, praised the team for their spirited performance in the encounter.

De Villiers wrote on the microblogging platform X:

"RCB the better team today, but unfortunately with Sport, when momentum is against you the small things don’t go your way. Spot of bother to say the least, but never say never. Fight till the end."

Bengaluru required 21 runs off the final over. Mitchell Starc was tasked with the responsibility of bowling the last six balls. Karn Sharma gave Bengaluru some hope, hitting three sixes against Starc. However, he was dismissed on the penultimate ball. Lockie Ferguson could score just one more run before getting run out.

With this win, Kolkata moved to second place in the points table. They have won five out of their first seven outings. Bengaluru, on the other hand, are last with just a solitary victory from eight matches.

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"I am actually proud of the boys tonight"- Faf du Plessis on RCB's performance vs KKR

Speaking at the post-match presentation, RCB skipper Faf du Plessis said that he was proud of his players despite the unfavorable result. He lauded his teammates for going all out in the crucial contest, saying:

"The small things, I am actually proud of the boys tonight, the way we bowled and fielded, we did give away a couple of big overs towards the end, but I thought we kept them down to a par score.

"We thought we'll go hard in the batting powerplay, find those boundaries at the start of the innings. We were desperate, 10/10 from an effort perspective, the way we put up the effort in the ground, the faces told the story."

"We've got an unbelievable fanbase, we want to make them happy, we want them to have a smile on their face. We'll have to continue putting in our efforts and try to change things around." he added

Bengaluru have a losing streak of six matches in IPL 2024 and are in desperate need of a miraculous turnaround. They will now take on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Thursday, April 25.