After the team qualified for the IPL 2022 playoffs for the third consecutive year, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) Director of Cricket Operations Mike Hesson said he and skipper Faf du Plessis "set things in place for the next three years and hopefully beyond."
This season, though, the Bangalore-based franchise's fate was not in their control. Following the victory of the Mumbai Indians over the Delhi Capitals in their last league game, RCB advanced to the knockout stage.
If the results had been reversed, Delhi would have qualified and Bangalore would have been eliminated from the tournament.
Faf Du Plessis was named captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) ahead of IPL 2022 season, succeeding Virat Kohli.
"Faf has been great. Once we decided and made him aware of that (captaincy), it was all about him actually coming in and contributing to the culture. For me, culture happens first. It is something quite hard to define. It is more about how you react under pressure, towards your teammates and Faf is big on that. He is big on creating a legacy as well. We actually have got set things in place for the next three years and hopefully beyond. He also has the capability of bringing people along for a ride, which I think is really important," said Hesson in a video posted by RCB on Twitter.
On May 25, the Royal Challengers Bangalore will face the Lucknow Super Giants in the Eliminator at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Hesson praised bowlers Wanindu Hasaranga, Josh Hazlewood, and Harshal Patel as well. In IPL 2022 season, the Sri Lankan leg-spinner is only two wickets behind top wicket-taker Yuzvendra Chahal (26 wickets).
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"Wanindu is exceptional in terms of those middle over wickets for us. You can only control the back end of the innings if you can take wickets in the middle. The wickets he has got are critical," said Hesson.
Talking about Hazlewood, Hesson said, "He shows experience and he is a banker. He has got big wickets for us. He has shown his skills in the death (overs) as well, which is critical."
Harshal is RCB's second most successful bowler after Hasaranga (24 wickets in 14 innings).
"He (Harshal) has done what we know he can do, creates pressure and takes wickets. (He) loves the death overs which not many people put hands up for and say they wanna do that job," added Hesson.
