Andy Flower, head coach of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), believes that his team’s long vacation has allowed players such as Rajat Patidar and Phil Salt to recharge their batteries and prepare for the tournament’s final stages.
RCB’s final game in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 was against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on May 3. Their match versus Lucknow Super Giants was postponed after the competition was stopped for a week. Following the resumption, they were scheduled to face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at home on May 17. However, this match was rained out before a ball was bowled. On Friday, May 23, the Bengaluru-based franchise will face Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, marking their return to play after 20 days.
Flower stated that the break helped Patidar recover from a hand injury and Salt overcome his illness after returning home for a short time.
“We’re not too bothered about it. I believe the players worked extremely hard all season in preparation for the season’s first match, and they have played some outstanding cricket throughout. Yes, we’re taking a break right now, but for a couple of our players, it’s been beneficial. Rajat Patidar, for example, has allowed his right hand some time to recover after taking a bad knock. So, he’s fit to bat, which is fantastic,” Flower remarked at the pre-match press conference.
“Salt had been sick for a while, so this gave him a chance to return home. He has replenished his batteries and is back to full power. Of course, everyone in the competition and all of our fans would have preferred that the competition proceed as planned, but larger issues arose, and we had to adapt,” he continued.
Disappointed not to play in Bengaluru: Andy Flower
RCB had to say goodbye to their home field, M Chinnaswamy Stadium, earlier than intended because their final home game was moved to Lucknow owing to inclement weather. Flower noted that the club would have liked to play in front of their home fans for the final time this season, but that they will have to put that notion aside and focus on the task at hand.
“We’re definitely upset not to be playing tomorrow’s game in Bangalore, but we’ve got to deal with it as well. We trained in Bangalore yesterday lunchtime and flew here. We have another short training session tonight, and we’ll be ready to go tomorrow,” he said.
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