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In our heads, we have already won the IPL: Rahul
- Updated: May 27, 2016
On May 11, Royal Challengers Bangalore were beaten at home by Mumbai Indians. Virat Kohli was candid about the path ahead. “We’re literally playing the knockouts now. You can’t relax in this situation, you literally have to win every game from here. It’s going to take a lot of character.”
Two weeks later, Royal Challengers became the first finalist of IPL 2016 when they beat Gujarat Lions at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Qualifier 1. Kohli’s men have not just shown character, but a winning mentality that has put them in the pole position even before the second finalist has been decided.
There is no harm repeating this: Royal Challengers won just two of their first seven matches. They have won seven out of eight games since. Virat Kohli (5), AB de Villiers (4) and Shane Watson have (1) have accumulated 10 Man-of-the-Match awards, the most by any team this IPL.
“In our heads, we have already won (the IPL),” KL Rahul said at an informal media briefing, two days ahead of the final. “To come back from where we were and be in the top-two is a big achievement in itself. And the confidence we have in the team is sky-high.”
There was no trace of arrogance in Rahul’s statement. Usually, when at the cusp of something this big, players, captains and coaches play defensive. They warn themselves of the ‘what if’ scenario and prefer keeping quiet. But Kohli’s men have not shied away from being bold. After all, the team’s motto has been to ‘Play Bold’.
Playing his second season for the Royal Challengers, Rahul is the team’s third-highest run-maker behind you-know-the-two. In his first stint, in 2013, Rahul batted just twice in five matches. He played for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the previous two …
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