RCB 'relaxed' about potential workload management during middle phase

While Royal Challengers Bengaluru await their first home challenge, there is an eye towards the future and the challenges it would hold for them in IPL 2025. After two games away, RCB get into a phase where they'll be alternating between home and away games for ten matches in a row. The travel and the resultant workload management is something that Mo Bobat, the RCB team director, touched upon in a press conference on Tuesday, April 1, at the Chinnaswamy stadium.

"I think you just deal with the schedule that you get given. We definitely try to focus in those first couple of games at making the statement start. Because going to two big teams with good and proud home records is a good challenge. So we use that as something to motivate the group. Similarly, we want to come back here and motivate the group to go on a show in front of their own fans. So you just deal with what's in front of you. So I don't think that's a big issue.

"I think a bigger challenge for us scheduling-wise is probably the amount of travel that we've got. So we've actually got quite a laid-back and quiet start and quite a nice relaxed end. 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," said Bobat.

Two of RCB's key fast bowlers have had varying injury concerns in the recent-past. While Josh Hazlewood has made a successful comeback to competitive cricket after his rehab, Bhuvneshwar Kumar had to be kept out of their first game because of a 'minor niggle'.

"Obviously Bhuvi [Bhuvneshwar Kumar] had a slightly slower start in leading just because he had a very minor niggle and we didn't want to put him at risk. He probably could have played that first game if we really wanted him to but we didn't want to put him at risk. Josh [Hazlewood] came off the back of an injury with Cricket Australia but they managed that pretty conservatively and then handed him over to us and we finished that rehab here. So they're both in a good place now.

"It's likely we're going to have to think about things to keep players fresh through the middle. I think that's obvious. But right now every game is important so we're not thinking too far ahead. We'll take it on a day by day, week by week basis. Our medical team are doing a brilliant job and they've got a good track record over the last few years. If you look at us relative to probably other teams we've not had too many sub-tissue injuries. So just keep focusing every day at a time, every game at a time. Try and keep them on the park because we know how good they are. If they end up needing a bit of a rest we're pretty relaxed about that too because we've got a really good squad," explained Bobat on the possibility of workload management during the packed schedule.

If it does come down to managing the workload at some point, Bobat was happy with the back-up bowlers available in the squad. "Two bowlers [Bhuvneshwar and Hazlewood] with extreme class, as we know. International pedigree. They know their strengths really well. The opposition will know their strengths too. So they're not easy bowlers to play against. It's also worth mentioning Yash Dayal. I think as a three-man pace bowling unit, those three have got a high degree of variety.Very good skill. We think they'll be well suited to bowling somewhere difficult and challenging like here. So at the minute we're very happy with how those guys have got on.

"We've also got other guys in the wings knocking on the door. I think Rasikh's [Rasikh Salam] a very skilful bowler. Again, particularly in these sorts of conditions, [We've] Got points of difference with Nuwan [Thushara] and people like that. So really happy with our bowling unit."