Despite posting a competitive 192\/4 on the back of Angkrish Raghuvanshi\u2019s fluent 71 and Rinku Singh\u2019s unbeaten 49, KKR failed to contain Virat Kohli, who struck a sensational unbeaten 105 off 60 balls to steer RCB home with five deliveries remaining and take Bengaluru back to the top of the points table.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Assessing KKR\u2019s position after the defeat, Pujara said the defending champions now have only a slim route to the knockout stage, though he stressed there was still value in finishing the campaign strongly.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a tough ask for KKR. I don\u2019t think they will be qualifying for the playoffs. The chances are very slim. The way the season has gone for KKR, there\u2019s still a lot to play for. It\u2019s not just about reaching the playoffs. Obviously, when you are not in contention, you play for pride. The way the season started for KKR, it didn\u2019t go their way, but now, they have made a comeback and they would want to finish on a high,\u201d Pujara told JioStar.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
KKR\u2019s head coach Abhishek Nayar admitted after the match that failing to hold onto Kohli\u2019s catch proved decisive, especially given the batter\u2019s record while chasing targets.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWe all know that if you leave Virat Kohli's catch, it will be difficult, especially when he is chasing, so there are a lot of things that could have been better. But when you are playing good cricket with a team like this, and Virat Kohli and (Devdutt) Padikkal are in good form, and you want to take their catches at that time, so it is unfortunate,\u201d Nayar said in the post-match press conference.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar also highlighted the significance of the missed catch, saying teams simply cannot afford to hand lifelines to a batter of Kohli\u2019s calibre.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cBefore this RCB-KKR game, KKR\u2019s efficiency with catches was still the best in the IPL this season, even after dropping a few catches. They were at the top of that table. But this one hurt badly. Rovman Powell, who has taken some stunning catches this season, was fielding inside the 30-yard circle. He had the chance to dismiss Virat Kohli early.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar also highlighted the significance of the missed catch, saying teams simply cannot afford to hand lifelines to a batter of Kohli\u2019s calibre.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The loss put an end to KKR\u2019s four-match unbeaten streak and further complicated their playoff equation, while RCB reclaimed the top spot in the points table with their eighth win of the season.<\/p>\r\n\r\n