The spin department of the Royal Challengers (RCB) lacks experience. Indeed, they paid INR 5.75 crore to acquire Krunal Pandya at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction; yet, he appears to be a defensive bowler with an economy rate of 7.36 and an average of 34.28.
However, one of the primary reasons for selecting him was the possibility that the expertise may be useful at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Along with him, RCB also has Mohit Rathee, Suyash Sharma, and the part-time alternatives Jacob Bethell and Liam Livingstone.
The quality of RCB’s spin department has been questioned as a result, but head coach Andy Flower believes it is appropriate. Flower remarked, “It’s a really good and apt question to ask,” prior to RCB’s season-opening matchup with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens.
“Krunal played a big role in the auction as one of our targeted players. In addition to being a brave and intelligent cricket player, he also has leadership experience. He’s a streetwise operator with nous, and as a left-arm spinner, let alone an all-rounder, he clearly has class. Having it in our organization and setting the standard in the spin area is reassuring.
Regarding wrist-spinner Suyash Sharma, who has participated in 13 IPL games, Flower has urged patience and not to hold him to unrealistic expectations right away.
“Suyash is a very promising young player with little experience who has an extremely high ceiling in the wristspin department. Flower added, “And Mohit Rathee to support him.”
We want Suyash to do well, but none of us can predict exactly how he will do over the course of an entire IPL season. And that’s how all young players begin.
“He recently had groin surgery, and his recovery is going great. We discovered that he has had that injury issue for a long time throughout the off-season.
Additionally, RCB has given him some excellent care and attention.
We have high expectations for him. However, we also don’t anticipate him being Shane Warne right away.
“We must exercise patience and allow him to grow from his mistakes. It’s also beneficial that he has a captain he can work with and these seasoned cricket players nearby. To support them, Swapnil Singh clearly performed well for us the previous year. and Liam Livingstone performs a variety of tasks. It’s a good insurance to have him as a backup in the spin department. Thus, we feel at ease in our current location.
With players like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Nuwan Thushara, Lungi Ngidi, and Rasikh Sala at their disposal, the fast bowlers of RCB are far more seasoned than the spin department.
“I believe that having powerful individuals in your team who have excelled at the highest level naturally instills confidence in them. The fact that they have already achieved success at the highest level gives you confidence, and many of our guys have done that,” Flower stated.
We have Hazlewood, Bhuvi [Bhuvneshwar], Yash, and Krunal in our bowling attack, for example, and even Yash has some excellent experience now. He has a nice head on his shoulders and is rather composed. In terms of strategy and judgment, those four men will essentially be leading themselves.”
After losing all four of their previous meetings with KKR, RCB will look to snap the losing run on Saturday.
India
