Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has opened up about RCB’s brilliant run in the recently suspended Indian Premier League (IPL 2021) as well as how the addition of Glenn Maxwell played a crucial role in the team’s success in the tournament.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are at the 3rd position in the IPL 2021 points table with 5 wins in 7 games before the T20 league was suspended by BCCI due to the COVID-19 outbreak inside the bio-bubble.
Chahal believes that RCB being among the top teams in the IPL 14 will not have to start from the bottom and will enter the second half with a lighter mood when the tournament resumes later this year.
During an interaction with India TV Cricket, Chahal said: “We're in the top four in the first half of the tournament. Each team is equal in terms of points so it is a good thing that we don't have to start from the bottom when the tournament resumes.”
He further added, “Unlike other seasons where we need five or six wins from last seven games, we will enter the second half with a lighter mood and accordingly plan things. The management and coaching group who joined us last season were positive. Last year in the UAE as well as this season, we felt like 2016 when we reached the finals.”
The leg-spinner also said there was not much pressure on Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers this season due to the addition of Maxwell while hailing Devdutt Padikkal for his batting show in the IPL 2021.
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Chahal further mentioned, “The addition of Glenn Maxwell solved last year's problems. This time around there is less pressure on Virat bhaiya and AB de Villiers that simplified things for us. Devdutt Padikkal also batted really well last season and continued his form in IPL 2021.”
He has also lauded Mohammed Siraj and Harshal Patel for their brilliant bowling show in the first half of the IPL 2021 saying two pacers have hugely contributed to RCB’s form in the tournament.
The spinner signed off by saying, “The medium-pacers, especially Mohammed Siraj, also deserve a special mention. He has continued the good form since the Australian tour and that has helped us massively. He deserves more wickets than he has actually picked. Harshal Patel, who has picked 17 wickets from seven matches, also made a huge difference.”
