- Nasima Akter
RCB Share Dressing Room Celebrations after Win
.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) kicked off their IPL 2023 campaign in style with a resounding eight-wicket victory over the Mumbai Indians (MI). The match marked the return of RCB to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium after a three-year hiatus, and the players seemed to be in great spirits from the beginning.
Despite a valiant effort by MI's Tilak Verma, who scored a blistering 84 off just 46 balls, the RCB bowlers put in a strong performance to restrict their opponents to a total of 171.
The RCB players celebrated their victory in the dressing room after the game. The former and current captains, du Plessis and Kohli, were seen leading the celebrations, with du Plessis even lifting Kohli in the air. The team sang their team song, which has since gone viral on social media.
The lyrics of the song include "The pants are red, the shirt is blue, the golden lion shining through. We are RCB, playing bold, going to the final on our own. A finer kit you'll never see, a finer team there'll never be. Other teams don't bother me, I'm proud to be from RCB."
Stars in the Match
It was a commanding performance from the RCB, who were led by their two senior players, Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis.
During the match, Mumbai Indians began their innings poorly, losing their top-order batsmen at regular intervals. However, a brilliant unbeaten knock of 84 runs by Tilak Varma helped MI post a respectable score of 171/7 in their allotted 20 overs.
RCB dominantly started their chase, with du Plessis and Kohli forming a formidable partnership.
Du Plessis was the more aggressive of the two, scoring a quickfire 73 runs off just 49 balls. Kohli, on the other hand, played a captain's knock, remaining unbeaten at 82 runs off just 49 balls, hitting six fours and five sixes. The RCB completed the 172-run chase with 3.4 overs to spare. In the end, RCB won the match by eight wickets.
After the Match
The RCB captain was pleased with the team's performance, especially considering it was their first match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in many years. Kohli credited the Mumbai Indians' batters for setting a challenging total and praised his team's efforts in chasing it down.
RCB is one of three teams to have played all 15 seasons of the IPL but has never won the title. Despite reaching the playoffs for the last three seasons, they have failed to make it to the final.
Last year, they were beaten by the Rajasthan Royals in the second qualifier. However, the team seems to be in great form this year and will be looking to finally lift the coveted trophy.
In conclusion, RCB has started its IPL 2023 campaign on a high note with a convincing win over MI. The team looks motivated and determined to break their IPL title drought this year. With Kohli leading the way, they could finally go all the way and lift their first IPL trophy.
