“We let ourselves down with the bat once again” : Virat Kohli

The IPL 2017 season has turned out to be a disastrous one for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Virat Kohli. They have witnessed one batting collapse after another. The team which boasts of a star-studded batting line up has looked fragile and has displayed sloppy performances. If bundling up on just 49, the lowest total of the tournament’s history wasn’t enough there were more land slide batting displays to add onto their woes.

On Friday winning the toss Captain Kohli opted to bowl. However win the toss, bowl and chase down total a formula which had become their mantra last season doesn’t seem to be working anymore. A poor performance with the bat meant RCB were unable to chase down a target of 139 runs, conceding a 19 run defeat to Kings XI Punjab.

The run machine himself has looked out of form and to add onto it, is the failure of big guns like Chris Gayle and AB De Villiers with the bat. Kohli looked emotional at the post match presentation ceremony. He could barely find words staring at such huge disappointment.

“We let ourselves down with the bat once again. I have not seen so many collapses for a team in one season. You don’t really understand what to do in times like these,” said a disheartened Kohli.

“It’s really disheartening. I don’t know what to say in games like these anymore. It’s happening many a times now for our liking. Anything we are trying with the bat is not working,” he added.

He was unable to find a reason for the batting failure leading to possibly their worse season in a decade of the IPL;

“The whole squad is trying to be positive but we are not finding a way to make a big score. Wickets are falling too quickly, I can’t pinpoint anything, we are trying to be as positive as we can. Our preparations have been similar to what we did last year, but what matters is what you do on the field and this season has been against what we’ve wanted,” Kohli said.