Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) faced disappointment against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Lucknow, missing an opportunity to secure a strong spot in the IPL 2025 league standings. Although a victory wasn’t mandatory, it would have significantly improved their chances of finishing in the top two. Anil Kumble and Tom Moody have shared their perspectives on the way forward.
Reflecting on RCB’s 42-run defeat, Tom Moody expressed the importance of moving past the loss. Speaking on ESPNcricinfo’s Time Out show, Moody advised, “I think you need to move on very quickly. I think you’ve got to patch up your wounds – and they’ve got a few scars there – but I don’t think you dwell on it too much.” His focus is on the positives, such as the opening partnership of 80 runs and Phil Salt’s return to form, highlighted by five impressive sixes.
Phil Salt’s resurgence in the team was indeed notable. He returned to play after a month-long gap, caused by illness and the India-Pakistan border issues impacting the IPL schedule. Yet, RCB has been hampered by injuries. Devdutt Padikkal and Josh Hazlewood are sidelined, Jacob Bethell and Lungi Ngidi are attending to national duties, and Tim David may have suffered a hamstring injury.
In pursuit of SRH’s formidable 231 for 6, Kumble appreciated the initial momentum in RCB’s innings, particularly the 80-run opening stand from Virat Kohli and Salt. However, Kumble acknowledged the team’s missteps. “The start was extremely good. Though Virat Kohli was the dominant partner… one of them needed to bat deep,” he observed. He also highlighted that the partnership between Mayank Agarwal and Rajat Patidar, which yielded only 29 runs off 26 balls, was a setback for RCB.
Mayank Agarwal, recently brought in to replace the injured Padikkal, managed just 11 runs from ten balls. Patidar, returning from a hand injury, also struggled, scoring 18 runs in 16 balls. Their modest contributions stalled RCB’s momentum after a vigorous start.
Stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma remarked that the loss offered valuable insights, stating, “I think sometimes losing a game is a very good sign because you can check, analyse where we are lacking.” Kumble, however, remained sceptical about this outlook but remained hopeful for RCB’s last league match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on May 27. “You need to say these things. You shouldn’t be losing at this stage,” he insisted, expressing optimism about RCB’s potential to achieve a top-two finish.
