We weren't brave enough with the bat: Kohli
Sharjah: "We weren't brave enough with the bat," said Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli after his side suffered a five-wicket defeat at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad here.
Kohli said Saturday's defeat has virtually made their last game against Delhi Capitals a must-win for a top-two finish in the standings.
RCB only managed 120 for seven after SRH asked them to take the first strike.
"It was never enough. We thought 140 might be a good total to sort of getting into the game on that kind of wicket. We weren't brave enough with the bat throughout the innings and credit to them - they used the pitch well and the change of pace," Kohli said after the match.
"It is a competitive tournament and you can't take any games lightly or any teams for granted, the situation is in front of us - we have to win our last game to hopefully finish in the top two.
"It is going to be a cracker of a game with both teams locked in at 14 points. I have always been a Bangalore boy in the IPL never sort of drifted towards Delhi," Kohli said about RCB's last league game against DC on November 2 in Abu Dhabi.
SRH first produced a brilliant bowling effort to restrict a batting-heavy RCB to a modest 120 for seven and then chased down the target in 14.1 overs to zoom to the fourth spot in the standings from seventh.
SRH now have 12 points from 13 games and need to win their last league game against table-toppers Mumbai Indians to stay in the hunt.
RCB, who needed a win to seal their Play-offs berth, slumped to their third consecutive defeat in the tournament but stayed at second place in the table with 14 points from 13 games.
Kohli said dew played an important role in the second innings.
"Things changed drastically in the second innings. There was a lot of dew which we didn't quite predict. They got it right at the toss eventually. In the end, it was very difficult to hold the ball.
"Strange one. In between, we thought the weather has become pleasant and there wasn't any dew, but last few games in Dubai and here as well there has been dew. The pattern keeps changing but regardless (of that) you need to have run on the board," he said in the post-match presentation ceremony.
SRH captain David Warner said their goal was clear coming into this match -- win the last two games and progress into the play-offs.
"We knew we had to beat the top two teams in order to progress. We got one more to go against Mumbai. Losing Vijay (Shankar) is a big miss. For us, we have worked out, how to go about at the top of the order.
"With the bowling, all the credit goes to them. We are finding the right balance and the right partnerships. To go for less than 20 in 4 overs, it's ridiculous," he said.
"We knew we had to win today, and that's the case in the next game. In 2016 we had to win three games and we did that."
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Mamata asks TMC nominees not to leave counting centres as EC data shows BJP leading
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday urged TMC candidates and agents to remain vigilant and not to leave counting centres, alleging that there was a "game plan" by the BJP and the Election Commission to show the saffron party taking a lead in the early trends of counting.
In a video message issued during the counting of votes, the TMC supremo appealed to party workers to stay put and not to lose morale.
"I appeal to everyone that neither TMC candidates nor counting agents should abandon counting centres," she said.
As trends on the Election Commission website indicated the BJP leading in 188 seats against the TMC's 94, Banerjee maintained that her party was still ahead in a significant number of constituencies.
"We are still ahead in 170 seats, but I request everyone not to lose hope," she said, adding that there were "around 70 to 100 seats where we are leading, but they are not sharing the data of those seats".
"A false narrative is being spread," she alleged.
The chief minister accused the Election Commission of "not declaring results or leads" in areas where the TMC was ahead.
"This is a game plan by the EC and the BJP as it (poll panel) is not declaring results or leads in areas where we are leading," she said.
Banerjee also alleged irregularities in the counting process at some locations.
"In several places, counting has been stopped after the first two to three rounds. In Kalyani, we have caught seven machines with severe anomalies," she claimed.
She further alleged that TMC workers were being "harassed with the help of central forces" and that party offices were being "vandalised and forcefully captured".
"With the help of central forces, they are harassing and torturing AITC workers. Our offices have been vandalised," she said, also alleging that voter list revision exercises were "purposefully done to target seats where we were strong".
Seeking to reassure party workers, Banerjee said more rounds of counting were yet to take place and urged them to stay firm.
"Fourteen to eighteen rounds of counting will happen. You will surely emerge victorious. Don't be afraid; fight like tigers," she said.
Her remarks came as counting trends suggested that the BJP was leading in 188 seats and had crossed the halfway mark of 148 in the 294-member assembly, pointing to a potential shift in the state's political landscape.
Counting for 293 constituencies was underway with postal ballots, followed by EVM votes.
Officials cautioned that trends could change as more rounds are counted, and final results would be known later in the day.
জরুরি বার্তা pic.twitter.com/Uc82oihwEL
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) May 4, 2026
