For RCB to reach the 16-point threshold, they must win each of their next seven games...
Digital Desk: Following the home team's defeat by 25 runs in a record-breaking IPL 2024 encounter against SRH, RCB head coach Andy Flower tried to cheer up the disheartened players in the dressing room. Bowlers from both sides were sent packing as an absolute storm of sixes and 549 runs—a T20 record—were scored at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. With 287 runs given up, RCB set a record for both the greatest IPL total and the second-highest total in T20 cricket history. Along with being the first side in the IPL to have four or more bowlers give up more than fifty runs in their allotted four overs, RCB also made history.
Faf du Plessis's 28-ball 62 and Dinesh Karthik's incredible 35-ball 83 carried RCB close to the target with a heroic effort. Despite posting the highest score in T20 cricket history—262—during a chase, the home team lost their sixth game in a row. It will take a miracle for RCB to even place in the top half of the standings, much less go to the playoffs, as they are currently at the bottom of the IPL 2024 points table.
Speaking to the defeated players in the dressing room, head coach Andy Flower advised them to sit back, think things through, and assess their situation before making an impressive comeback.
"Undoubtedly, it was a very difficult night in the field. They had such a strong conclusion that it may have deflated us. We are going to consider. We'll return more powerful than before. Clearly, it's elimination time. We view every game as a semi-final," Flower stated in a video shared by RCB.
When the league had nine or more teams in the IPL, no team had ever qualified for the playoffs with 16 or fewer points. For RCB to reach the 16-point threshold, they must win each of their next seven games.
DK FOR THE WORLD CUP?
Dinesh Karthik led RCB's battle with the bat, and Andy Flower showered him with accolades. After 263 against the now-defunct Pune Warriors India in 2013, RCB's 262 was their second-best IPL total. It was the fifth-highest total to date.
In keeping with the laid-back vibe in the changing room, Flower complimented Karthik's consistency and asked him if he was considering a position in the T20 World Cup.
"I was quite pleased with your bat-fighting skills. Though we didn't win the game, I was rather impressed with how each of you battled. You are also pushing for the World Cup team, DK. Good job, buddy. You are just getting better," he continued.
Karthik has been playing at an incredible level, hitting two consecutive blistering fifties. During his 23-ball 53 against MI, the RCB wicketkeeper engaged in lighthearted conversation with Rohit Sharma, who teased him by implying that he was vying for a position in the T20 World Cup, which will begin on June 1.
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