Former South African batter AB de Villiers voiced his disappointment after Royal Challengers Bangalore’s exit from the Indian Premier League 2024 following their defeat against Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator game. The Faf du Plessis-led side suffered a defeat by four wickets on Wednesday, May 22, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, leading to their elimination from the tournament.
The defeat marked a sorrowful conclusion to another impressive campaign for Bengaluru, as they once again fell short of clinching their maiden IPL title. Following RCB’s loss against RR, de Villiers, who had previously played for the franchise from 2011 to 2021, expressed his dismay at seeing his former team knocked out. However, the 40-year-old also commended the team for orchestrating a remarkable turnaround in the season after winning just one out of their first eight games.
De Villiers wrote on X, “Losing hurts, but I’m proud of the team for giving us hope when things looked bleak in May. I believe #RCB will bounce back stronger next year and win the IPL title. #IPL2024.”
Notably, the Faf du Plessis-led side had managed to secure just one victory out of their initial eight fixtures and were on the brink of elimination in the group stage itself. However, the team, which had been three-time runners-up, staged a remarkable comeback by winning their next six matches against all odds, securing a spot in the playoffs. Their winning streak, however, met its end in the playoffs against RR, resulting in yet another failure to secure their maiden IPL title in their 17th season in the T20 extravaganza.
