Royal Challengers Bengaluru are two wins away from rewriting their IPL legacy — and inside the dressing room, they know it.
After sealing a historic unbeaten away run with a six-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants, RCB not only punched their ticket to the playoffs but locked in second place on the table. A spot in Qualifier 1, a shot at the final, and a real chance to finally go all the way.
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But while Jitesh Sharma’s fireworks grabbed the headlines in Lucknow, it was Dinesh Karthik’s message that echoed louder in the aftermath. The batting coach wasn’t interested in celebrating just yet — instead, he reminded the team of what’s still on the line.
Dinesh Karthik, Mo Bobat urge RCB to keep their eyes on the prize
“This year we have gotten to the playoffs. Not just playoffs, but second place,” Karthik told the squad, in a clip shared by the franchise. “Most importantly, I think this room believes there is a bigger goal. And for that we need to stay calm. Any one of you in the playing 12 can do exactly what Jitesh Sharma did.”
RCB chased down LSG’s total to notch their third-highest IPL chase ever — and with it, became the first side in IPL history to win all seven away matches in a single season. But the message from within the camp was clear: don’t get comfortable.
“All I want to say is remember the bigger goal. We have bigger things to play for. And let’s make sure it happens this year,” Karthik added.
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RCB’s Director of Cricket Mo Bobat echoed the sentiment.
“If we look at some of the things we’ve ticked off — seven out of seven away wins — we should be really proud of that. It’s not been done before. Our highest ever chase, third highest ever IPL chase, some significant achievements there."
“But it’s important to remember that those achievements… are not what we came together for this year. We’ve probably got our most enjoyable, most exciting, most important week ahead, so that mindset is really, really important.”
RCB now face Punjab Kings in Qualifier 1 on Thursday at Mullanpur — with everything still to play for.