NEW DELHI: Head coach Andy Flower emphasized the need for more "skilful and intelligent" bowlers to handle the unique challenges of their home ground, M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru following Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s defeat to Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2024 Eliminator.
RCB’s promising season came to an end with a four-wicket loss at the Narendra Modi Stadium, despite a remarkable turnaround after a poor start.
Flower noted that while it’s too early to discuss specific recruitment plans, it’s clear that simply relying on pace is not effective at Chinnaswamy, known for its short boundaries and high-scoring games. The team struggled at home, losing three of their seven matches there, 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 highlighted the importance of power hitters in modern T20 cricket, emphasizing the need for batsmen who can maintain 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 loss, Flower praised the team’s resilience and the leadership of captain Faf du Plessis and star batsman Virat Kohli. After a disastrous start with seven losses in their first eight games, RCB bounced back with a six-game winning streak to secure 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."
1/9:IPL trophy eludes Virat Kohli after Bengaluru's loss to Rajasthan
<p>IPL trophy eludes Virat Kohli after Bengaluru's loss to Rajasthan</p>AFP
2/9:RCB Knocked Out
<p>Virat Kohli suffered more heartbreak as Royal Challengers Bengaluru were knocked out of the IPL after a four-wicket loss to Rajasthan Royals in Ahmedabad.</p>AFP
3/9:Heatwave Challenges
<p>Ahmedabad remained hot, with temperatures soaring above 43 degrees Celsius, and over 85,000 fans turned up for the eliminator despite the heat.</p>AFP
4/9:Do-or-die play-off
<p>Rajasthan restricted RCB to 172-8, a total they overhauled with six balls to spare in the do-or-die play-off at the world's biggest cricket stadium.</p>AFP
5/9:Bengaluru's IPL Title Wait
<p>Bengaluru and Kohli extend their wait for a first IPL title, as Rajasthan will face Sunrisers Hyderabad in the last play-off on Friday in Chennai.</p>AFP
6/9:Kolkata's Final Berth
<p>Kolkata made their fourth IPL final after they hammered Hyderabad in the first play-off on Tuesday in Ahmedabad's intense heat.</p>AFP
7/9:Sensational Bowling
<p>Trent Boult, with figures of 1-16, and Ravichandran Ashwin, 2-19, played pivotal roles in a disciplined bowling attack for Rajasthan.</p>AFP
8/9:Rajasthan's Chase
<p>Rajasthan stuttered in their chase after Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson departed, but Riyan Parag and Shimron Hetmyer got their chase back on track.</p>AFP
9/9:RCB's Remarkable Journey
<p>Bengaluru's dream run ended after they rose from the bottom of the table to win six in a row and make the play-offs.</p>AFP(With inputs from ANI)
