Mike Hesson, the Director of Cricket for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), has emphasized the importance of attacking with the ball in the first 15 overs of an innings to get more wickets. He noted that teams are now coming hard at their opponents throughout the Indian Premier League (IPL) games, with the middle overs being more challenging than before.
Hesson stated that the teams should continue to attack rather than just defending after getting an excellent start with the ball. Five wickets in the first 15 overs used to give a team an open end, but now, they have to get at least one more. He said that the game has changed, and teams cannot just get themselves into the innings in the middle overs.
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According to Hesson, the depth of batting line-ups has changed the game as teams are now playing aggressively in the middle overs instead of building innings. The middle overs, which used to be considered ‘soft’ overs, are now a lot more challenging. Middle-order players now have to take the game on instead of just getting themselves into the innings.
RCB has won three out of six games played this season at their home ground, Chinnaswamy Stadium, and are currently in sixth place in the 10-team points table. They will take on Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in their next game at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on May 1. Hesson’s comments on how the game has changed and how teams need to approach it will be crucial for RCB to perform better in their upcoming matches.