RCB wary of hectic IPL schedule

Bengaluru, April 1: Royal Challengers Bengaluru head of operations Mo Bobat on Tuesday said he is trying to keep the players fresh for the upcoming hectic travel days, so that the team can produce optimum level performance in those crucial games.
The Royal Challengers have played just two matches in the first fortnight of the IPL, but from their fourth match of the season against Mumbai Indians a hectic travel schedule will kick in for them.
“I think you just deal with the schedule that you are given. We definitely try to focus on those first couple of games at making the statement start. So, we use that as something to motivate the group. So I don’t think that’s a big issue,” said Bobat in the pre-match press meet here.
The RCB will have to play five games inside 13 days against MI (away), Delhi Capitals (home), Rajasthan Royals (away) and Punjab Kings (home).“I think a bigger challenge for us scheduling-wise is probably the amount of travel that we’ve got. We’ve actually got quite a laid-back start. 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,” he added.
“So I’m more interested in how we keep the boys fresh through that period and keep playing the way we want to play.” Bobat hoped the RCB bowling unit would deliver at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, a venue where the bowlers traditionally find it difficult to stop the flow of runs.“It feels a little bit weird having played two games and having not played a game at home yet. So, I’m really excited to be here. I think everybody knows what to expect from a surface here in Bangalore. It’s a good wicket, it’s a pretty short boundary, so they’re typically high scoring games.“We think we’ve got a bowling attack that’s particularly skillful and that can deal with the challenge of bowling here. Attacking here, but also defending here,” he said. (PTI)