We need to bring joy to our hundreds of thousands of supporters at home in Bengaluru: AB de Villiers

Jampacked metro trains, gridlocked Cubbon Park Road, and unmatched decibel levels at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium - a sight we've missed the most this year. The 12th Man Army has always been an extended family of the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Given the absence of the fans, AB added that the responsibility rested on their shoulders to bring a smile on the faces of the 12th Man Army, who have been supporting the team from different parts of the country. 

“We need to bring joy to our hundreds of thousands of supporters at home in Bengaluru and around the world, watching from home, gathered as families, many of them facing up to the fear and uncertainty caused by the global pandemic,” AB de Villiers wrote for his column for Hindustan Times. 

AB is optimistic about RCB's prospects of winning the remaining fixtures to lift the coveted trophy. “Now, after four consecutive defeats, can we regain our winning momentum. Can we win the three matches that stand between us and a first IPL title? Yes, we can,” he was quoted as saying. 

The veteran batsman also believes that it is important for a team to uphold a set of players rather than tinkering too much in the playing XIs. Season by season, we've seen plenty of teams rejigging the structure. As history indicates, maintaining stability has augured well for the teams, particularly in a tournament like the IPL. 

“In a tournament like the IPL, where any team can beat any team on any given day, the margins between winning and losing are often perilously thin. When things go wrong, the temptation can be to make wholesale changes; in most cases, it is better to stick to the same basic plan and maybe make a few tweaks,” he further added.

[Hindustan Times input]