'Massive relief' for du Plessis after RCB finally end losing streak

Faf du Plessis expressed immense relief as the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), positioned at the bottom of the table, broke their six-match losing streak with a 35-run victory over the formidable Sunrisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad. After Rajat Patidar's blistering 50 off 20 deliveries propelled RCB to 206 for 7, the team's spinners Karn Sharma and Swapnil Singh orchestrated a remarkable performance to restrict Sunrisers to 171 for 8. This victory rejuvenated RCB's hopes for playoffs qualification.

Du Plessis termed the win as a "massive relief" and highlighted its significance in restoring confidence within the team, acknowledging the mental toll consecutive defeats had taken on the players.

"Last two games, we've shown great signs of fight," du Plessis remarked at the presentation. "The SRH game was 270-plus and we got to 260, then the KKR game as well, just one run. It was almost a record chase. We've been close for a while but you need to win matches to get confidence back in the group. It's a massive relief. No matter where we are, when you're not winning it does affect you, it does affect you mentally, it does affect your confidence. I will sleep a bit easier tonight."

Reflecting on the significance of performance in instilling confidence within the group, du Plessis emphasized the importance of collective contributions from the batting lineup, lauding the recent performances of players like Rajat Patidar and Cameron Green.

You can't speak confidence into the group, you can't fake confidence into the group. The only thing that gives confidence is performance," he asserted. "The last week and a half we have been working hard to make sure we get better at our own game. You can see the last game; there is some confidence in our batting. We have got more guys scoring runs now. For the first half of the tournament only it was only Virat [Kohli] contributing. Rajat playing two really good innings back-to-back, Greeny [Cameron Green] getting runs, it's massive for him just to get that load off his shoulders.