RCB’s Director of Cricket, Mo Bobat, and player Tim David opined on the middle order’s character following a narrow nine-run defeat by LSG using the DLS method in an away IPL match on Thursday. The defeat marked RCB’s first defeat while chasing in five games as well.

Reflecting on the chase, Tim David, who scored 40 runs off 17 balls, lauded Patidar’s composure and powerful hitting. “Rajat was amazing. They were big sixes. They were bowling fast, they were bowling short, and he absorbed a bit of pressure at the start, and then he just played how we know he can play,” he said. “It was beautiful to watch. They got me out of my seat. Those sixes are pretty special.”

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Bobat also expressed disappointment over the missed two points but applauded the middle order’s bravery after early setbacks.

“Obviously disappointing to not be able to pick up the two points. But it was encouraging to see some really brave performances from some of the boys today,” he said. “It’s not often that we lose both our openers as early as we did today. Our top order has been fantastic all season, so that was a bit of a rarity. But the characters Dev and Rajat showed were fantastic. They absorbed pressure for a period of time and then actually put some pressure back on them.”

“Some brave batting there, particularly from the middle order, which will be encouraging. We must also remember that Bhuvi and KP bowled brilliantly as well,” he said. “As we always do, we’ll give ourselves a bit of time to think. The boys and coaches will get their heads together, look at the areas we could have done a little bit better, and hopefully be a little bit sharper for the next game.”