Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) head coach Andy Flower opined that the long break for his team has helped the likes of Rajat Patidar and Phil Salt, among other players, to recharge their batteries and gear up for the business end of the tournament.
RCB’s last game in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 was against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on May 3. Their clash against Lucknow Super Giants got postponed after the tournament was suspended for a week. After the resumption, they were set to face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at home on May 17. However, this match was washed out without a ball being bowled. The Bengaluru-based franchise is set to return to action after 20 days when they take on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Friday, May 23.
Flower said that the break helped Patidar recover from a hand injury, and Salt to overcome his illness after going back home for a brief while.
“We are not too concerned about that. I think the boys have worked really well over the entire season in the build-up to the first match of the season, and they have played some superb cricket throughout the season. Yes, a little break now, but for a couple of our players, that has actually been a healthy thing. Rajat Patidar, for one, has given his right hand a little bit of time to settle after getting quite a bad knock. So, he is fit to bat, which is great,” Flower said in the pre-match press conference.
“Salt was sick for a while, so it has given him a little chance to get home. He has recharged his batteries, and he is back at full force. Of course, everyone in the competition and all our fans would have wanted the competition to play out as planned, but bigger things were at hand and we have had to roll with that,” he added.
Disappointed not to be playing in Bengaluru: Andy Flower
RCB had to bid farewell to their home ground – M Chinnaswamy Stadium – earlier than expected as their last home game was shifted to Lucknow due to adverse weather conditions. Flower said that the team would have loved to play in front of the home fans for on elast time this season, but he stated that the unit will have to put that thought behind and focus on the task at hand.
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“We are obviously disappointed not to be playing tomorrow’s game in Bangalore, but we have had to roll with that as well. We trained in Bangalore yesterday lunchtime, then we flew here. We have another little training session tonight, and we will be ready to go tomorrow,” he stated.
