Yuzvendra Chahal explains why RCB bowlers have performed better in the last two seasons
Yuzvendra Chahal has dug deeper into Royal Challengers Bangalore’s resurgence over the past couple of years. The leg-spinner explained how RCB bowlers have benefitted since moving away from the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
RCB’s home stadium has thrown up some memorable matches over the years. However, it is widely considered a graveyard for bowlers in white-ball cricket, with batting-friendly wickets and short boundaries making it a difficult place to bowl at.
With IPL 2020 taking place in the UAE and IPL 2021 seeing RCB play their home games away from the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Yuzvendra Chahal told Sports Tak why their bowlers have fared better in recent years.
“If you notice, we have performed well in the last two years. That’s because when you play in Chinnaswamy, the ground is so small that even a no.7 or no.8 batsman smacks you for a couple of sixes!” Chahal pointed out.
RCB made the playoffs for the first time since 2016 last year and looked set to repeat the feat in IPL 2021 before the tournament was indefinitely postponed. The franchise have fared better on the back of their strong bowling performances, with Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj and Yuzvendra Chahal finding success in the past couple of seasons.
Speaking about how the venue change has made a huge difference, Yuzvendra Chahal explained why the previous schedule used to be a disadvantage for RCB.
“But when we started playing at bigger grounds, Siraj started bowling well, Harshal bowled well, and it makes a difference. Sometimes even a top edge goes for a six at Chinnaswamy, but on other grounds, we get a wicket instead. That is the main difference. We used to play seven games in Chinnaswamy and then one in Wankhede, so overall our bowlers were playing eight games where he can easily go for 40+ runs in his quota. Since the last two years, it isn’t happening, and that’s why you see an improvement,” Chahal mentioned.
Yuzvendra Chahal hopeful of IPL 2021 completion
RCB fans were disappointed after IPL 2021 was indefinitely suspended, with the team sitting pretty in third place. The BCCI is keen to play the remaining games in September, and Yuzvendra Chahal was asked about his views on the same.
“I think BCCI is working really hard to reschedule it, it is the world’s no.1 tournament. The entire world waits for it, and even as a player, it is a great opportunity to play with such big players. I think it will be great preparation for us if we can play the IPL before the World Cup,” Yuzvendra Chahal concluded.
Yuzvendra Chahal has struggled for form in recent months, which has seen the likes of Rahul Chahar prop up as competition. Once regarded as India’s premier white-ball spinner, Chahal will hope for as much game time as possible in the coming months to cement his place in the Indian team for the upcoming T20 World Cup.