Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar admitted his side fell slightly short in a high-scoring chase against Lucknow Super Giants after suffering a nine-run defeat in their rain-hit IPL 2026 clash at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on Thursday.
RCB fought back strongly after an early collapse, but Mitchell Marsh’s explosive century and some crucial breakthroughs from LSG bowlers helped the home side finally end its six-match losing streak. The result also prevented RCB from climbing to the top of the points table.
Patidar praises RCB’s batting intent
RCB looked in trouble early after losing Virat Kohli and Jacob Bethell cheaply, but Rajat Patidar and Devdutt Padikkal rebuilt the innings with an aggressive counterattack.
Patidar, who scored a fluent 61, said the team had a clear idea of how to approach the chase and felt they were only a couple of big shots away from victory.
“We were pretty sure how to go about the target. Boys played well and the way we stretched this game, just one or two shots behind. It was really good batting track. Was coming nicely on the bat. Difficult to analyse just after the game, need some time to analyse it.”
The RCB skipper also praised the confidence shown by the batting unit despite the pressure of a steep chase.
“We have four games more, just taking one game at a time, one step at a time.”
Patidar impressed by Marsh’s masterclass
Mitchell Marsh played one of the best knocks of IPL 2026, smashing 111 off just 56 balls and putting RCB’s bowling attack under pressure from the start.
Patidar admitted Marsh’s aggressive approach made it difficult for him to rotate his bowlers after the powerplay.
“Mitchell Marsh was beautiful, the way he played. Kept us under pressure. I was confused about the bowlers – who should I bowl to Mitchell Marsh just after the powerplay. The way we played, that was really good intent showed by all batsmen. Everyone is looking confident and in a great space of mind,” he said.
RCB next IPL 2026 match
Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s next IPL 2026 match will be against Mumbai Indians on Sunday, May 10 at 7:30 PM IST. The match will be played at RCB’s new home venue, Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium in Raipur.
The post ‘Just one or two…’: Rajat Patidar reacts after RCB’s narrow defeat to LSG in rain-hit IPL 2026 thriller appeared first on Cricket Country.
