IPL 2019 | We are as disappointed and angry as our supporters, claims AB de Villiers

Royal Challengers Bangalore have endured a tough outing thus far in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League. The Bangalore-based franchise have played five and lost five of their opening games. The last loss at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium against Kolkata Knight Riders was definitely the worst of the lot as they looked in the driving seat until Andre Russell single-handedly tore their bowling attack apart with comfortable ease.

Former Proteas cricketer and RCB veteran batsman AB de Villiers rued his side’s dismal performances in the opening stages of the competition but added that there was enough talent in the squad to turn things around and complete a miraculous recovery over the course of the next month or so.

"There won't be many people in India who are not aware of the startling reality that we have lost our first five matches in the 2019 IPL; played five, lost five. Hopefully, the leading directors in Bollywood have been following our trials and tribulations as well. The stage is surely set for one of the great sporting movies of all time," de Villiers wrote in his column for Times of India.

Is it possible? Is it imaginable that this team can recover from the depths of despair, discover form and momentum, embark upon a winning run, rise from last place on the table, qualify for the play-offs and enjoy a fairytale triumph? We will see. As players, we are as disappointed and angry as our supporters, but we are ready for this fight and we will battle for every inch," De Villiers wrote in his column for TOI.

De Villiers, who has scored a total of 4126 runs in the IPL, admitted that Russell was a class apart in their latest loss which came on Friday night as the latter scored a thunderous 13-ball 48* to win Kolkata the game.

"Our most recent defeat, at home to KKR on Friday night, was particularly hard to accept. Batting first on a sticky wicket, we posted a total of 205 when a par score was around 180. That should have been enough, and it looked as though we would secure our first win when KKR needed no fewer than 52 runs from the last 16 balls. Enter Andre Russell… 6 off a no ball, 6, 6, 1 off a wide, 1, 1, 1, 6, 6, 6, 4, 6, 1… and, all of a sudden, we were left stunned, beaten with five balls to spare," de Villiers added.