'They are not progressing': RCB coach expresses frustration with two Indian players

Sanjay Bangar, the coach of Royal Challengers Bangalore, expressed his disappointment over the team's lack of high-quality Indian middle-order batsmen after the team's defeat to Mumbai Indians on Tuesday. The loss pushed RCB to the seventh spot in the league standings and dealt a significant blow to their net run rate.

During the post-match press conference, Bangar stated that his team fell short by at least 10 runs in the game. He also commented on the disparity in quality between the top three batsmen and the rest of the lineup, citing the absence of Rajat Patidar as a major loss for RCB this season.

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IPL 2023: Rajat Patidar's absence hurts RCB

Patidar made a name for himself in the IPL 2022 season when he scored a century in the playoffs against the Lucknow Super Giants to help RCB win. Bangar hoped that one of the younger players on the team would step up this year, but neither Anuj Rawat nor Shahbaz Ahmed have made significant progress.

"Not having Rajat Patidar hurt us, we were given an indication that Patidar will play after 3-4 games," Bangar said after the 6-wicket loss against Mumbai Indians on May 9. Mumbai chased down a mammoth target of 200 runs in just 16.2 overs thanks to some brilliant batting displays from Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, and Nehal Wadhera. 

'Anuj Rawat and Shahbaz Ahmed not progressing'

“They are not progressing at a very good rate. Our younger batter Mahipal Lomror has been the one who has taken his chances well but Anuj Rawat and Shahbaz Ahmed whenever they have gotten those opportunities, unfortunately, they haven’t been able to capitalise on it,” Bangar said during the post-match presentation.

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Nevertheless, Bangar stressed the importance of being patient with young players and giving them time to develop their skills, adding that they could reward the franchise's faith in them in the future. Bangar cited Kolkata Knight Riders player Rinku Singh's example, saying the team management showed patience and is now reaping the rewards for it.

"But that’s the learning you have to be patient with the younger players, it takes time, and expect that they will take their opportunities and churn out match-winning performances for the team. Look at KKR, they were patient with Rinku Singh for the last 3-4 years and now they are reaping the rewards for it," Bangar concluded.

Image: BCCI