Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the defending champions, have received a fitness boost ahead of their Friday league match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, with director of cricket Mo Bobat confirming that captain Rajat Patidar is available after missing the previous outing. Patidar was sidelined for the game versus Punjab Kings in Dharamsala after he suffered a head knock when he was struck during batting against Kolkata Knight Riders in Raipur. Speaking at the pre-match press conference on the eve of the SRH clash, Bobat said the decision to be cautious had paid off and that the skipper is now ready to take part.<\/p>\n
\u201cRajat\u2019s good to go. We were cautious and didn\u2019t take any risks with him. We thought we\u2019d give him a little bit longer to recover and rest, but he\u2019s here, he\u2019s practising, and he\u2019s good to go,\u201d Bobat said. The comments underline how RCB have managed Patidar\u2019s return to action, opting for an extended recovery window after the impact, before bringing him back into full training ahead of the next fixture.<\/p>\n
Bogat also highlighted the role of senior pace bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who is currently leading the wicket charts with the Purple Cap, having taken 24 wickets across 13 innings. Bobat described his strike-rate impact and consistency as key to RCB\u2019s balance in the bowling attack, praising not only the number of wickets but also the quality of his spells. \u201cBhuvi has been brilliant. His outcomes have been excellent; he\u2019s taken a lot of wickets, but he\u2019s also bowled with excellent rhythm. He\u2019s been effective at the front end of the innings and also the back end, so we\u2019re very pleased with how he\u2019s going,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Beyond the on-field output, Bobat pointed to Bhuvneshwar\u2019s influence within the team environment, noting that the experience he brings helps younger players handle pressure scenarios. \u201cHe talks well in meetings, he\u2019s a good source of insight and ideas in the field under pressure. He can be a great support to Rajat and Jitesh as well, which is really important. We get huge value out of him because he gives us so much,\u201d Bobat added.<\/p>\n
With the playoffs drawing closer, Bobat stressed the importance of maintaining mental discipline and not getting carried away by momentum, results, or the stage of the tournament. He urged the group to keep the focus narrow\u2014treating each match as its own challenge\u2014regardless of venue or previous form. \u201cIt sounds like a bit of a clich\u00e9, but we just try and take one game at a time. Whether we\u2019re home or away, it doesn\u2019t really matter to us. We try and understand the conditions, respect the opposition, plan for them, and then focus on what we\u2019re good at and try to do that as well as we can,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Continuing the theme, Bobat suggested there is no special formula beyond preparation and execution, particularly across the league phase. \u201cAnd then you repeat that for every group game, really, so I don\u2019t know if there\u2019s a code or a secret. It\u2019s pleasing that we\u2019ve been consistent. We\u2019ve obviously won a number of games, and even the games that we haven\u2019t won, we\u2019ve been competitive, so that\u2019s good. We feel in a good place about that, but we simply do that by concentrating on the next game,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
As for the contest against SRH, Bobat acknowledged the threat posed by a top-quality opponent, while also reminding RCB not to lean on past records. \u201cAll the teams in this competition are good sides, there are dangerous players in every team, and anyone can take the game away from you, so you have to be very humble and respectful of the opposition, but also clear on your own strengths. We\u2019re not too bound by any history or records; we\u2019re just concentrating on the game tomorrow night,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the defending champions, have received a fitness boost ahead of their Friday league match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, with director of cricket Mo…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":11386,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"RCB vs SRH: Rajat Patidar Fit After Head Knock Update","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"RCB get a big boost as Rajat Patidar returns fit for the clash vs SRH after a head-knock scare, confirmed by Mo Bobat ahead of Friday.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11387","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n