IPL 2025: Bangar Comments on RCB's Home Struggles
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Synopsis
In light of RCB's ongoing winless streak at home, former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar expresses concerns regarding the poor pitch conditions at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. He emphasizes the need for RCB to recalibrate their batting strategy to recover their performance.
Key Takeaways
- RCB faces concerns over pitch quality at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
- Third consecutive home loss in IPL 2025.
- Need for RCB to adjust batting strategies.
- Tim David praised for his performance amidst batting collapse.
- RCB remains in fourth place in the points table.
New Delhi, April 19 (NationPress) Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar believes that Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) ought to be concerned about the quality of the pitch at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, which has led to their third consecutive defeat at home during the IPL 2025 season.
RCB faced a five-wicket defeat against Punjab Kings in a rain-shortened match where the home side managed only 95/9 in 14 overs on Friday. Arshdeep Singh, Marco Jansen, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Harpreet Brar each claimed two wickets.
In response, Nehal Wadhera scored a quickfire 33 runs off 19 balls, aided by three sixes and as many fours, to steer Punjab to their fifth victory of the season. This outcome leaves RCB still searching for their first win at home this season.
Bangar pointed out that RCB must adjust their batting strategy to improve their performance in home matches.
"They’d be worried, to be honest, with the kind of surfaces they’re getting. Who would’ve expected the amount of bounce that was on offer on this pitch? Nobody expected that. If that continues, this is no longer a batting-friendly surface or venue. RCB may need to recalibrate their batting approach to get things back on track in home games," Bangar stated on JioHotstar.
While analyzing RCB's batting failure, Bangar expressed dissatisfaction with the way Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, and Krunal Pandya lost their wickets at a critical point in the match. He commended Tim David for scoring a half-century off 26 balls, helping the team reach 95/9 in 14 overs.
"A couple of early dismissals were understandable - they were attempting to set a good score, and in a rain-shortened game, you don’t really have a clear idea of what’s enough. But the way Livingstone and Jitesh got out, and you'd expect a little more from Krunal Pandya as well - those three were disappointing. At one point, they were at risk of being bowled out for under 50. Credit to Tim David though - he held on and made a bit of a match out of it with a well-composed drift," he added.
Currently, with eight points from seven matches, RCB is positioned fourth in the points table and will face Punjab Kings again in the return match at the New PCA Stadium, New Chandigarh on Sunday.
