Head coach Andy Flower has said Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) lead-in to the IPL playoffs is not ideal but wants his team to be ready for any eventuality. RCB last played on May 3. Their first game after the IPL resumed on May 17, against KKR, was abandoned without a ball bowled. With heavy rainfall forecast in Bengaluru, the IPL’s decision to move this game to Lucknow meant RCB have had just two sharp training sessions in the build-up.
Heavy weather forecasts forced RCB home fixtures to be moved out of Bengaluru which affected their comfort level in accordance to the head coach Andy Flower but at the same time, he believes that the team is ready to face any situation and condition whatsoever.
RCB qualified for the playoffs through the stellar show in IPL 2025
RCB has highly relied on Virat Kohli’s batting, Rajat Patidar’s captaincy, and fast bowlers’ all-around performance. Their bowling has improved from severe weakness into possible strength, particularly during the final overs. RCB’s problem may well be consistency and handling the pressure of knockout cricket, which has let them down in seasons past.
RCB have positioned themselves solidly within the four to have a strong chance of making the final four. They have at least one win from two games remaining. If they lose Qualifier 1, they will play again in Qualifier 2, depending on whether RCB can put it together when it matters and get over their playoff jitters from the past.
If RCB finish in the top two, which they might know only after their last league game on May 27 against LSG, they will have less than 48 hours before they’re back on the field for Qualifier 1 in Ahmedabad. RCB head coach Andy Flower seems unhappy about the scheduling factors fo the team but is ready to face any challenges in the playoffs.
RCB head coach Andy Flower slams RCB’S scheduling ahead of IPL 2025 Playoffs
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) head coach Andy Flower assured that his side isn’t “too concerned” about the shift of their upcoming fixture against Sunrisers Hyderabad from their home den, M Chinnaswamy Stadium, to Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium on Friday.
A couple of days ago, the IPL confirmed that the SRH-RCB fixture was moved to Lucknow after the unfavourable weather conditions in Bengaluru were taken into account. With the home advantage gone in IPL’s group stage business end, Andy Flower is “disappointed” about not facing SRH on their home turf. But he isn’t dwelling on their lack of training for the clash, which will play its part in determining where they finish in the top four after qualifying for the playoffs.
“We are obviously disappointed not to be playing tomorrow’s game in Bangalore, but we have had to roll with that as well. We trained in Bangalore yesterday lunchtime, then we flew here. We have another little training session tonight, and we will be ready to go tomorrow,” Andy Flower said before the match.
Andy Flower is no stranger to the Ekana Stadium, having coached Lucknow Super Giants for two seasons in 2022 and 2023. He’s hoping RCB will continue their incredible away record of six wins in six games this season and push towards a top-two finish.
“As you know, we struggled in our home conditions initially, and the pitch was a little different than we were used to. We took a little while to adjust our game plan according to the pitch, and we did adjust it and won a couple of important games at home. We have got a good record away. We have been able to flex for the away conditions really well, so I am backing our players to do that again tomorrow. So, we are okay playing here in Lucknow,” he added.
RCB haven’t played a single delivery since the tournament’s resumption, following a week’s suspension due to cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan. They were bound to mark the continuation of the tournament at home against the defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders. However, rain pelted down heavily in Bengaluru, and the match had to be abandoned without a ball bowled.
The absence of game time and practice doesn’t “concern” Andy Flower. He sees the break as a “healthy thing”, considering skipper Rajat Patidar got enough time to reclaim his fitness after sustaining a “heavy knock”. Phil Salt, who was “sick” for a while, got the opportunity to recharge his batteries at home and return with full “force”.
“We are not too concerned about that. I think the boys have worked really well over the entire season in the build-up to the first match of the season, and they have played some superb cricket throughout the season.
Yes, a little break now, but for a couple of our players, that has actually been a healthy thing. Rajat Patidar, for one, has given his right hand a little bit of time to settle after getting quite a bad knock. So, he is fit to bat, which is great,” he said.
RCB are currently second in the points table with 17 points from 12 games. They need to win both their remaining games to give themselves the best chance of finishing in the top two. They will also have to deal with personnel changes ahead of the playoffs: Jacob Bethell and Lungi Ngidi will leave after Friday’s fixture against SRH due to international commitments.
RCB have signed Zimbabwe’s Blessing Muzarabani and New Zealand’s Tim Seifert as short-term replacements. They are also waiting on Josh Hazlewood’s return as he continues his recovery from a shoulder injury in Australia.
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