IPL 2025: Knew that eight overs of spin could drive run rate in right direction for us, says Flower

New Delhi, April 25 (IANS) Apart from Josh Hazlewood’s 4-33, the defence of 205/5 by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at their home turf M Chinnaswamy Stadium was also built on the back of superb middle-overs bowling by the spin duo of Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma.

Krunal and Suyash conceded just 62 runs across their eight overs, with the former picking up key scalps of Riyan Parag and Nitish Rana. In that period, RCB had accelerated with the bat thanks to Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal. But RR were unable to get that same result in their unsuccessful chase, thanks to Krunal and Suyash stifling the run flow.

After RCB ended their losing streak at home with an 11-run victory over Rajasthan Royals, head coach Andy Flower stated that the team think-tank knew eight overs of their spinners were going to be key to get the run-rate in their favour and keep the visitors’ on a tight leash.

"Well, Krunal was a very important pick for us in the auction. We were targeting him. We obviously liked his all-round capabilities but also his experience. He's experienced winning the IPL, he's experienced captaining in the IPL, he's played international cricket, he's got a good cricket head on his shoulders, and he's also got a bit of fire in his belly-and I really like that."

"Obviously both brothers do (including his younger brother Hardik Pandya). So he was an important pick for us in the auction. I think he's done some really good work with Malo (Malolan Rangarajan, head scout and assistant coach), who I think is an excellent spin bowling coach, an excellent all-round coach, really. I think they've had some really good conversations about some of the tactics Krunal's employing."

"I thought Rajat did a great job of staying calm. The ball spun all match, even when the ball was getting a little bit wet, it was still holding a little. So we knew that if we used our eight overs of spin, we could create a few chances with that and perhaps drive that run rate in the right direction for us," said Flower at the conclusion of the match.

RCB getting their first IPL 2025 win at home also meant they are now at third place on the points table and boosted their chances of entering the playoffs. Flower conceded that the win over RR at home might just be the catalyst for them to maintain their place in the top four, especially with three more home games lined up.

"It was very important. We've had four home games and we've lost the toss each time. We know that trying to defend a target here is tough. In the first three games, I thought our bowlers and fielding unit did outstanding work to keep us in the game as long as they did, because all three totals were a bit below par.”

“So, watching our guys (batters) adapt to the conditions was really gratifying. I was really proud of the way they batted. Obviously, our wonderful supporters wanted to see some of that success (we had in away games). They were concerned about us here at home. We've got three more games here at home. So vitally important for us to play well in these conditions, and it was great to put on a show," he concluded.

--IANS

nr/ab