Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) head coach Andy Flower confirmed that skipper Rajat Patidar has recovered from his finger injury and is fit to feature in the upcoming clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) which is scheduled to take place at Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on May 23. Patidar injured his finger while fielding during RCB's clash against Chennai Super Kings on May 3.
However, the forced break on May 8 seemed like a blessing in disguise for RCB as Patidar got enough time to recover. Before the restart of the tournament, Patidar was seen wearing a splint to protect the injured finger.
“Rajat Patidar, for one, has given his right hand a little bit of time to settle after getting quite a bad knock. So, he is fit to bat, which is great,” said Flower.
RCB haven't played a match in nearly 20 days. They were scheduled to play a clash against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on May 17 but the game was washed out by rain at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Flower believes that the long break helped the players to improve mental space and aided recovery in what has been a demanding season.
“We are not too concerned about that (the break). I think the boys have worked really well over the entire season and have played some superb cricket throughout. Yes, a little break now, but for a couple of our players, that has actually been a healthy thing,” Flower said in the pre-match press conference.
RCB who were scheduled to feature against SRH at home will now play all their remaining matches , including the knockouts, away from home. But Flower was confident, pointing to the team’s excellent record on the road this season — six wins from six away matches.
“We are obviously disappointed not to be playing tomorrow’s game in Bengaluru. As you know, we struggled in our home conditions initially, and it took us a little while to adjust our game plan according to the pitch. But we did adjust and won a couple of important games at home. We’ve got a good record away. We’ve been able to flex for the away conditions really well, so I am backing our players to do that again tomorrow. So, we’re okay playing here in Lucknow,” the coach concluded.
RCB have already qualified for the playoffs and on the other hand, Sunrisers Hyderabad are eliminated from the tournament.