Royal Challengers Bangalore aren’t out of IPL yet: Yuzvendra Chahal

RCB need to win all their remaining six matches and hope other results go their way.

His franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore slumped to their seventh loss in eight games this season, but Yuzvendra Chahal has refused to write them off from IPL 2019.

After losing six matches in a row, RCB won their first last week to get onto the points table, but on Monday night were beaten by Mumbai Indians. This has left Virat Kohli‘s RCB needing to win all six of their remaining matches by big margins and hope that other results go their way, in order to make the IPL 2019 playoffs.

Chahal, speaking to reporters after the loss, said that RCB were not out of the race yet.

“If we win the next six games we can qualify. Last year a team had qualified with 14 points, so it is not the end of the road yet. You never know what will happen next,” said Chahal, RCB’s leading wicket-taker this season.

Having made 171/7, Bangalore took wickets during Mumbai’s chase to leave the home team needing 22 runs off 12 balls. From the dugout, RCB’s bowling coach Ashish Nehra was seen gesturing to Kohli to use a spinner with Hardik Pandya on strike. (VIDEO: Kohli and RCB slump to seventh loss)

Kohli agreed and gave the ball to left-arm spinner Pawan Negi who had conceded 26 runs in three overs. The move back-fired for RCB, as Pandya hit Negia for two sixes and two fours to finish the chase with an over left.

“If you see the wicket was turning and it wasn’t easy to score runs against the spinners and I think we bowled well till about 18 overs and it was a case of a couple of bad overs that took the match away,” said Chahal. “We thought with two overs and 22 runs to win, we had a chance but Hardik played so well. I don’t think you can blame a particular bowler, whether it is a spinner or pacer. It is a team game.”

Bangalore next place Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on Friday.