20 hours ago
1
When the concern extremity of a league similar the IPL gets arsenic arithmetic arsenic it has successful the ongoing edition, nary crippled is ever conscionable astir a straightforward win. Ask Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The defending champion needed to thwart a surrender to Sunrisers Hyderabad by 90-odd runs to forestall its neighbour from crawling up to the apical 2 bracket of the standings.
“We did sermon the assorted targets. We needed 166 to corroborate apical two, 179 to corroborate apical of the league, and evidently 255 to triumph the game,” caput manager Andy Flower explained aft RCB’s 55-run nonaccomplishment to SRH connected Friday (May 22, 2026).
The 58-year-old credited Venkatesh Iyer with instilling content successful a funny RCB eleven that featured lone 3 overseas players.
“I thought Venky batted brilliantly up beforehand to springiness america that impetus. We wanted our batsmen to get a consciousness of the crippled and marque a determination astir whether they wanted to instrumentality connected the 255 (target) oregon the 180.”
Venkatesh has been a useful middle-order reinforcement, but has been malleable to immoderate demands made of him successful the batting order.
“He’s had to hold for his chance. And each clip he’s had a chance, either arsenic an interaction subordinate erstwhile we’ve needed the other batsmen due to the fact that we’ve got ourselves into immoderate occupation successful the innings oregon successful the past 2 matches erstwhile he’s been fixed a chance, archetypal astatine fig 4 successful Dharamsala and past contiguous opening the batting, he’s taken each of those chances.”
“I’ve got a batch of respect for a antheral that’s played a batch of IPL cricket, played for India, and was sitting connected the sidelines waiting for his chance. He’s been successful that dugout. He’s had a large grin connected his look each the time. He’s worked hard successful each azygous signifier league crossed each 3 departments. He’s been exemplary, to beryllium honest.”
Losing Venkatesh changed the momentum of RCB’s pursuit astatine the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium and Flower attributed that to Sunrisers’ mastery implicit its location conditions.
“SRH’s seamers bowled astir 50% slower balls. As the transportation got slower, those balls were gripping and didn’t marque batting easy.”
“The squad knows these conditions precise good and person picked a bowling onslaught that tin exploit these conditions. I deliberation they besides conscionable usage the 2 pitches successful the mediate and cognize however to usage them well,” helium added.
