Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Rajat Patidar defended his decision not to use Suyash Sharma as an Impact Player, opting instead for Venkatesh Iyer. He explained that the team had planned to rely on all-rounders to do the job against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Guwahati on Friday.
For the first time this season, RCB did not use Suyash as an Impact Player and brought in Iyer after losing four wickets during the middle overs. Batting at number nine, Iyer scored 29 off 15 balls to take the team to 201. However, he did not bowl, while Tim David and Romario Shepherd conceded 36 runs in three combined overs without taking a wicket. After the match, Patidar was asked whether Suyash’s absence was felt.
“I don’t think it made much difference because Venky, Sheppi (Shepherd) and KP were there,” Patidar said at the post-match presentation. “We had to manage those overs with the three of them, and I don’t think it made a huge difference. If you are playing this kind of competitive cricket, especially in the IPL, there will be a lot of errors. What matters is how you look at it and how you learn from your mistakes.”
Patidar also highlighted the impact made by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who struck a half-century during the Powerplay.
“The way their batters, especially Vaibhav, batted in the Powerplay made a huge difference,” Patidar added.
This was RCB’s first defeat of the season and also brought an end to Patidar’s unbeaten eight-match run as captain.
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