Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s head of operations Mo Bobat reflected on the importance of keeping the players fresh amid a hectic IPL schedule. The Rajat Patidar-led side will be playing five games in 13 days, with the first one being against Mumbai Indians (away), Delhi Capitals (home), Rajasthan Royals (away), and Punjab Kings (home and away).
Bobat noted that the starting was important and he was happy with the team winning back-to-back matches against KKR and CSK. He highlighted the importance of making a statement start, which will build confidence and momentum. Nevertheless, he pointed out that the travelling will be challenging and he will focus specifically on keeping the players fresh and motivate them to play the same brand of cricket.
“I think you just deal with the schedule that you are given. We definitely try to focus on those first couple of games at making the statement start. So, we use that as something to motivate the group. So I don't think that's a big issue,” said Bobat in the pre-match press meet.
“I think a bigger challenge for us scheduling-wise is probably the amount of travel that we've got. We've actually got quite a laid-back start. But the middle is very congested. I think from after this game onwards we play something like seven games in 22 days with seven travel days. That's a very hectic schedule. So I'm more interested in how we keep the boys fresh through that period and keep playing the way we want to play,” he added.
Bengaluru are currently at the top of the IPL points table with two wins in as many games. The opening combination of Phil Salt and Virat Kohli has worked well for the franchise while Rajat Patidar has been one of the most consistent performers. Among bowlers, Josh Hazlewood has been phenomenal while Yash Dayal has been impactful.