Kohli, de Villiers relieved as Bangalore snap winless streak

Players of Royal Challengers Bangalore celebrate the dismissal of Kolkata Knight Riders’ Sunil Narine during the VIVO IPL Twenty20 cricket match in Bangalore, India, on Sunday, April 29, 2018. Photo: AP

REUTERS: Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli said he never doubted his misfiring team’s desire after guiding them to their first victory of the Indian Premier League season on Saturday.

Kohli scored 67 while South African AB de Villiers remained unbeaten on 59 as their team, having lost their previous six matches, successfully chased their victory target of 174 against Kings XI Punjab.

“After so many setbacks the guys had a desire, that’s one word we spoke about,” batsman Kohli said during the post-match presentation ceremony.

“It’s a great feeling to get across the line. We’ve been unlucky in a couple of games. We thought 190 will be par and to restrict them to 170 was a great effort.”

The victory came at a cost for Kohli as the Indian skipper was fined 1.2 million Indian rupees ($17,346) for his team’s slow over rate.

De Villiers said the win was an important first step for the team to turn their fortunes around in an unlikely push for a playoff spot.

“Our first win, we’ve waited a long time this season for that so we’re very happy. We know it’s a very small step in the right direction but a very good step nonetheless,” man of the match De Villiers said.

“We know what we have to do now and that is to win a lot of games. The next step is Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede stadium. We love playing there. We have to do the basics well again and hopefully, more success is around the corner.”