IPL 2024: Harbhajan Singh opens up on RCB's loss against KKR

Harbhajan Singh (Pic: File Pic)

Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh feels Dinesh Karthik's strike rotation refusal at the end of the match against Kolkata Knight Riders proved to be costly for Royal Challengers Bengaluru's defeat. KKR won the IPL 2024 match against RCB by just one run.

After Virat Kohli's dismissal, Rajat Patidar and Will Jacks brought RCB back into the game. The duo milked 102 runs in the IPL 2024 match against KKR.

In the 19th over, Dinesh Karthik and Karn Sharma were at the crease, but Karthik refused to take a single on three deliveries. He then smashed a six and a four before losing his wicket in Andre Russell's over.

Also Read: Moment when Sachin Tendulkar made his arrival in world cricket

Karn Sharma bashed KKR's lead pacer Mitchell Starc for three maximums in the last over of the game. However, RCB ended up falling short by one run in their chase of 223.

"I feel DK was a very important player in this match. Karn (Sharma) came in and struck three sixes, while they were batting Karthik missed two to three singles and I feel that it proved costly for RCB. If he had taken those singles then maybe this situation wouldn't have unfolded. They only needed one run, small things matter. At that time you feel you want to finish the game and Karthik has the ability to finish off the game. However, when you don't win the game you remember such things and I feel Karthik would think about taking that single," Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.

Summarizing the IPL 2024 match, RCB skipper Faf Du Plessis won the toss and elected to field first. Phil Salt's explosive 48 in 14 balls, with seven fours and three sixes, provided the two-time champions with some extra runs in the powerplay.

Wickets were falling from the other end continuously, but skipper Shreyas Iyer (50 in 36 balls, with seven fours and a six), Rinku Singh (24 in 16 balls, with two fours and a six), Andre Russell (27' in 20 balls, with four boundaries) and Ramandeep Singh (24' in nine balls, with two fours and two sixes) contributed just enough to take them to 222/6 in their 20 overs.

RCB lost Virat Kohli (18) and Faf Du Plessis (7) early. A 102-run partnership between Will Jacks (55 in 32 balls, with four boundaries and five sixes) and Rajat Patidar (52 in 23 balls, with three fours and five sixes) helped RCB bounce back. But their efforts weren't enough to seal off the game for RCB.

(With ANI Inputs)