'In the death, we scrambled incredibly hard from a point where we were never entitled to get close' - Mike Hesson on nail-biting RCB vs LSG clash

Mike Hesson, Director of Cricket Operations for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), praised the  RCB players for extending the match against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) until the final ball at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Monday, April 10. RCB scored 212 for two in 20 overs after being asked to bat first. LSG, on the other side, competently chased the target and won by one wicket, handing RCB their second consecutive defeat in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).

Hesson praised the RCB batters Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis, and Glenn Maxwell after the game for their astounding half-centuries and setting a 213-run target for LSG in their innings. He also applauded the bowlers, saying they were outstanding in the powerplay, as they had been in the previous two games.

"I think our batting was exceptional, a really polished performance with the bat with plenty of skill and spark as well, so that was pretty exciting. With the ball in the powerplay yet again, three times in a row we have been exceptional there," Hesson said on RCB's official YT.

He went on to say that in the final over, RCB scrambled tremendously hard from a position where they had no chance to be near. He admitted that they got hit in the middle overs when they did not want to be hit. Notably, LSG keeper-batter Nicholas Pooran's record half-century ended all hopes for RCB to win the match.

"In the death, we scrambled incredibly hard from a point where we were never entitled to get close. Obviously, in the middle overs, we got hit in some areas we did not want to get hit," he added.

Spinners were a bit off-color today: Bangar

Sanjay Bangar, the RCB's head coach, also lauded Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis, and Glenn Maxwell for their excellent batting. The former India cricketer also stated that the fast bowlers performed well during the powerplay, but the spinners did not and the team would take this factor into consideration.

"Virat and Faf have been batting really well, it was important that Maxi came and struck the ball the way he did. That was a big plus and from a bowling perspective, I believe that all fast bowlers bowled exceptionally well. Spinners were a bit off-color today, but that is something we will really have to think about," said Bangar.