"We don't have as many weapons" - Faf du Plessis admits RCB's vulnerable bowling after defeat to MI in IPL 2024 clash

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper Faf du Plessis admitted that their bowling line-up does not have the required sting to win matches, after their defeat to Mumbai Indians (MI) on Thursday, April 11. The veteran South African reckons setting up matches with the bat is their only chance.

The Royal Challengers failed to defend 196 as Mumbai Indians razed through the target in only 15.3 overs, with 7 wickets to spare, at the Wankhede Stadium. The home side smashed the target at a staggering 12.84 runs per over.

Speaking after the match, Du Plessis stated that the target needs to be a minimum of 220 to give their vulnerable bowlers a chance. As quoted by ESPN Cricinfo, the 39-year-old said:

"At the moment, it feels like, from a batting perspective we have to get and try and push for 220 to have a chance. From a bowling perspective, we don't have as many weapons. So unfortunately it comes down to the batters to make sure that we use our form and our confidence. The scores that we put on the board are probably going to be the only way we are going to get into the competition."

After Hardik Pandya sent RCB to bat, half-centuries from Du Plessis, Rajat Patidar, and Dinesh Karthik propelled their side to a healthy total. However, only Will Jacks, Vijaykumar Vyshak, and Akash Deep were among the wickets.

"The dew here looked like it was going to be big" - Faf du Plessis

Ishan Kishan set the tone. (Image Credits: Twitter)

The former South African captain praised the Mumbai Indians batters for forcing the Royal Challengers to make mistakes by playing aggressively. The ex-South African skipper added:

"You also have to give credit in the way that the boys from MI came out and played. Put a lot of pressure on our bowlers. Made our bowlers make a lot of mistakes in the powerplay especially. You could see that anyone who came in could find the middle of the bat quite easily. We did know that and spoke about it in the first innings. The dew here looked like it was going to be big so we felt we needed to get 215, maybe even 220."

Jasprit Bumrah earned the Player of the Match award for his five-wicket haul.