Head coach Andy Flower highlighted the need for more “skilful and intelligent” bowlers to tackle the unique challenges of their home ground, M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, following RCB’s defeat to Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2024 Eliminator.
Despite a promising season, RCB’s campaign ended with a four-wicket loss at the Narendra Modi Stadium, after a significant turnaround from a poor start.
Flower mentioned that while it’s premature to discuss specific recruitment plans, it’s evident that relying solely on pace is ineffective at Chinnaswamy, known for its short boundaries and high-scoring matches.
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The RCB team struggled at home, losing three of their seven matches, often due to bowlers conceding runs too easily.
“As far as recruitment for next year, it is a bit early to talk about that. Quite frankly, I do not want to talk about that yet,” Flower stated at the post-match press conference.
“I do think though the Chinnaswamy has some particular qualities that we need to be able to exploit. You certainly need highly skilful bowlers at Chinnaswamy.”
”Simply pace is not going to be the answer there. You need skilful, intelligent bowlers and people that can bowl to really specific plans at Chinnaswamy.”
Flower also underscored the importance of power hitters in modern T20 cricket, stressing the need for batsmen who can sustain a high tempo throughout the innings.
“We have all seen how the power game has affected T20 cricket recently. So on the batting front, you certainly need to recruit batsmen with that sort of power that can keep up that sort of tempo,” he added.
Despite the defeat, Flower commended the team’s resilience and praised the leadership of captain Faf du Plessis and star batsman Virat Kohli. After a disastrous start, losing seven of their first eight games, RCB rebounded with a six-game winning streak to clinch a playoff spot.
“I think our guys have fought brilliantly over the last 10 weeks to come back from our first half of the tournament was a great effort,” Flower said.
“I certainly would pay tribute to Faf du Plessis for his captaincy and Faf and Virat for the way they have led from the front as role models and professional sports people. They both have been great role models for everyone else, and the rest of the boys fought really hard to get us back into the tournament.”
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