SRH defeat seen as an important wake-up call by RCB spin coach

Ahead of Royal Challengers Bengaluru`s final league match against Lucknow Super Giants, spin bowling coach Malolan Rangarajan reflected on their recent defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad, calling it a `good wake-up call` after a prolonged hiatus. He emphasised that the team’s primary focus remains on executing disciplined bowling and exerting pressure on their opponents.

RCB has a golden opportunity to secure a spot in Qualifier 1 and earn a double chance at the IPL final by defeating LSG in Lucknow on Tuesday. A victory would elevate their tally to 19 points, following nine wins, four losses, and a no-result. Depending on the outcome of the encounter, RCB could finish among the top two teams.

Their recent loss against SRH came after the IPL resumed following a break caused by escalating cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan. The SRH clash on May 23 marked the resumption of RCB’s campaign after their May 17 rain-affected match against Kolkata Knight Riders.

In a pre-match press conference, Rangarajan acknowledged, “It is a fact that we lost the last game after a big break. It is down to a lot of reasons, not having played in the last 3 weeks, and being a little rusty. It has been documented very well that it was a good knock on the chin for us, a good wake-up call and now looking forward, even though we have guaranteed a place in one of the playoff games, it is important to focus on Lucknow Super Giants and what is going to happen in the Ekana Stadium and that is what we are focusing on, how best we can start bowling, how can we put pressure back on the opponents, so we will be focusing on that. Once that is done, we will look at how and who we play in the playoffs.”

Rangarajan also admitted that their batting performance while chasing 232 runs could have been better, as the team lost their last seven wickets for only 16 runs. “But again, I am not going to dwell on the result of what happened. We could have reacted better. We had a few issues that we had to deal with. As far as what came out of the meeting, hopefully you will see that on the ground tomorrow. Like we had a few challenges in M Chinnaswamy Stadium when we played the first few games. I think we have thought of ways we can address what had gone wrong,” he explained.

Addressing the perennial pressure on RCB for never having won an IPL title, Rangarajan said, “England had won the FIFA World Cup in 1966, but yes, it is true that we have not won the IPL title. And we are doing what we can to ensure we become a more consistent and better team. If you look at the last five to six years, RCB has become a more consistent franchise. Whatever people used to say, I don`t know if it is true or not, but people used to say that our batting was very good and bowling not so much.”

He added, “It feels like we have a balanced team, which gives a little balance to our output. So, our thinking, like all the teams`, is to win. What happened in the past is not the responsibility of the current players. It is the responsibility of the current players, which is there today and tomorrow`s match. So, if we win, it will be good, but I know everyone, I know each and every player and everyone knows what their wish is and what they want to do. So, there is definitely no pressure where we have not won, because we think how we want to play.”

This article first appeared on Mid Day