Royal Challengers Bangalore are all set to begin their latest chase for the elusive Indian Premier League crown when the tournament kicks off this weekend and head coach Daniel Vettori feels that his side is well equipped to give a good account of themselves in the ninth edition of cricket’s summer bonanza.
With some shrewd captures during the auction, the former New Zealand spinner feels there is a balance and strength in the team which could prove troublesome for opponents.
“Very happy with team. Last year, we did lots of things really well but the likes of (Shane) Watson and (Stuart) Binny give us a really balanced squad. We’ve got the luxury of options, which is a great thing to have,” said Vettori on Tuesday.
“To have those guys that have the ability to bat in the top order and bowl four overs is a real luxury. You look at the teams that have been successful in the IPL so far — Chennai with the likes of Jadeja, Raina and Bravo and KKR as well with Shakib. So we’re banking on the fact that we have six or seven bowling options. As everyone knows the Chinnaswamy Stadium is a tough place to bowl at, so to give ourselves those options is very important.”
Even as the squad has been bolstered, injuries to Mitchell Starc and Samuel Badree have hamstrung the bowling. Starc will miss out on the tournament while it remains to be seen when Badree, who had a stellar World T20, will return from his shoulder injury. “Everyone’s seen how Mitch (Starc) has bowled in the last couple of years, T20s and his death bowling. That’s something we’re going to miss. Whenever we had him in the team we knew we had those four overs up our sleeve. That’s a loss but it’s an opportunity for the likes of Adam Milne and Kane Richardson to step up and fill in that slot. That’s the beauty of having a 27-man squad. We have so many different options. We’ll just go through the permutations as they come,” remarked the former New Zealand captain.
“We knew the quality Badree brings and his record is fantastic. We’re just hoping he recovers from his shoulder injury and gets back to the team as soon as possible. He’s headed back to Trinidad and hopefully, we’ll get some feedback soon,” he revealed adding that he is expecting traditional IPL pitches and high scoring matches over the course of the tournament, unlike the World T20 games.
