Captain Rajat Patidar trusted Bhuvneshwar Kumar and his strong bowling unit to help Royal Challengers Bengaluru win the IPL for the second time in a row.
The IPL 2026 final between the Royal Challengers and the hosts Gujarat Titans is scheduled in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
“If you want to win the competition, you need a good bowling attack. It’s important to take wickets because on this track, it’s easy to score 220-200. But defending 200-220 is more difficult. So, you need a better bowling side,” PTI quoted Patidar as saying during the pre-match press conference.
Veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar, who has taken 26 wickets in 15 games, was praised by Patidar for guiding the RCB bowling team.
“I think he bowled superbly. He’s an experienced bowler. It’s not easy for the bowlers in this high-class competition. I think he has a lot of clarity. His plannings and strategies are very clear, and it is playing a big role.”
However, the 32-year-old did not overlook the significance of having enough backup for Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar, the new ball duo.
“Definitely, when you have top bowlers like Bhuvi and Hazlewood, you also need support from other bowlers. The way Rasik came in and did for the team, giving those breakthroughs is important because you cannot win the competition with only one or two bowlers.”
Rasik has taken 16 wickets in 11 games, ensuring Bhuvneshwar and Hazlewood’s early strikes won’t be in vain.
“So, I think the way Rasik has bowled throughout the tournament, it was superb and it’s helping the team. There’s no particular load on one or two bowlers. So, I think it’s overall a good team effort,” he noted.
On the fitness status of Phil Salt, who suffered a finger injury last month, Patidar said: “Right now, he’s there at the nets, doing some sort of drills and batting. And again, we have not decided yet. We’ll see how the doctor and all the management will look at it.”
