Royal Challengers Bangalore's all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed has said that whenever the team lost a match, many senior players of the team including Glenn Maxwell played a major role in boosting the morale of the team. As the final mark approaches in the 2022 Indian Premier League, RCB is set to play a qualifier against Lucknow Super Giants at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Wednesday. Faf du Plessis-led side have played 14 matches so far, won 8 and lost 6 games, but Shahbaz said that the team have stayed together in their tumultuous time. "Irrespective of match results in the IPL, we have enjoyed together. Initially we lost some matches but we came back strongly, won some matches. In the team, senior players like Maxwell and DK (Dinesh Karthik) always motivated all of us. When some players are down Maxwell tries to boost their morale with some pep talking," Shahbaz said on SG Cricket Podcast.
In search of their maiden title, the Faf du Plessis-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), who are full of super stars, will take on KL Rahul's versatile Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Eliminator of the IPL 2022 at the iconic Eden Gardens, here on Wednesday. LSG, who are playing their first IPL season, finished third in the league stage with nine wins. On the other hand, RCB, with 16 points, got the fourth spot and qualified for the playoffs after Mumbai Indians defeated Delhi Capitals in their last league game. The winner of the Eliminator will meet the losing side from Qualifier 1 in Qualifier 2 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday. Over the years, RCB have had a batting-dominant side, which eventually used to lead to an unbalanced playing XI. However, things have changed this year and the Bangalore-based franchise has one of the best bowling attacks in the league.