Is IPL 2025 Looking Bright for Patidar and Hazlewood?

New Delhi, May 16 (NationPress) Mo Bobat, the Director of Cricket for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), stated that skipper Rajat Patidar is making good progress in his recovery from a finger injury and has resumed batting. Meanwhile, they are cautiously optimistic about Josh Hazlewood, who is managing his recovery from a shoulder issue on a day-by-day basis.

RCB is set to advance to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 playoffs after achieving eight victories in 11 matches, needing just one more win to secure a place in the final four. They will continue their IPL 2025 journey against the defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium this Saturday.

“Rajat is progressing well. He suffered a hand injury, but he is gradually recovering. The disruption likely provided him with extra days for healing, allowing the swelling to decrease and for him to adapt to batting again. He has been practicing in recent days and is doing well,” Bobat mentioned.

“As for Josh, he is currently our only player absent. He is rehabilitating his shoulder issue with Cricket Australia. Our medical team is collaborating with their team to ensure he receives the best care, and he's focused on improvement day by day,” Bobat shared during the pre-match press briefing on Friday.

Prior to the tournament's week-long suspension due to tensions between India and Pakistan, RCB signed Mayank Agarwal as a replacement for Devdutt Padikkal, whose season ended due to a hamstring injury. Padikkal’s absence means RCB lacks a left-handed batter in the top order, yet Bobat expressed minimal concern about this.

“Personally, I don't worry too much about right and left-handed combinations. Different teams have different views on this. Since the implementation of the impact player rule and with each team having six or seven bowlers, the combination of right and left-handed batters is less crucial. It simply alters the bowling dynamics,” he said.

“In an 11 vs 11 match-up, having a left-hander can sometimes apply pressure to a bowler. However, I see it as less critical nowadays. We've witnessed instances during this tournament where specific bowlers haven't bowled their overs due to a left-hander on the pitch, and they manage just fine,” he added.

Bobat acknowledged that Saturday's match might be impacted by rain, as indicated by weather forecasts. He noted that this concern influenced their practice sessions, as they prepared in the afternoon on Friday.

“It certainly affects our preparation. We intentionally practiced in the afternoon due to concerns about rain this evening. Those are controllable factors. On game day, we can't control the weather. We want our players to feel as clear and relaxed as possible,” he stated.

“Ultimately, we trust our players to make decisions during the game, regardless of external conditions. We don't dwell on these matters. If the game is affected by rain, it is what it is—we simply hope for a chance to showcase our skills and entertain our fans,” he concluded.