Andy Flower blames Mohammed Siraj and company for RCB's exit; hints at Siraj's exclusion next year

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) head coach Andy Flower has offered insights into the team's strategy for the next year's Indian Premier League (IPL). Andy Flower said that Royal Challengers Bengaluru will need "highly skillful bowlers" for the conditions at Chinnaswamy Stadium in the next season.

The Royal Challengers suffered a four-wicket defeat against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Eliminator match in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, May 22. RCB's campaign ended as they failed to chase down a total of 173 runs. The Royals chased down the target in 19 overs to advance to Qualifier 2 of the season.

It's A Bit Early To Talk About That - Andy Flower

At the post-match press conference, Andy Flower highlighted the need to recruit highly skilled bowlers to execute specific plans at their home ground in the IPL 2024. Flower stated that simply having pace is not enough, and they need intelligent bowlers in Bengaluru.

"As far as recruitment for next year. it's a bit early to talk about that. Quite frankly, I don't want to talk about that yet. I do think though the Chinnaswamy has some particular qualities that we need to be able to exploit," Flower told reporters.

"You certainly need highly skillful bowlers at Chinnaswamy. Simply pace is not going to be the answer there. You need skillful, intelligent bowlers and people that can bowl to really specific plans at Chinnaswamy," he added.

The Faf du Plessis-led team found it challenging to capitalize on their high-scoring home ground, winning only one out of four matches. However, the Bengaluru-based team bounced back strongly, winning the last three home games.

They've Led From The From Front As Role Models - Andy Flower

The RCB team suffered seven losses in their first eight matches of the IPL 2024. However, the Royal Challengers showcased an impressive turnaround. The Faf du Plessis-led team secured six consecutive wins, including a crucial win against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), to secure a spot in the playoffs.

Andy Flower praised Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli for motivating the team during their impressive turnaround. Flower credited their leadership and performance on the field as key factors in fighting back after a difficult start to the tournament.

"I think our guys have fought brilliantly over the last 10 weeks to come back from our first half of the tournament was a great effort. And I certainly would pay tribute to Faf du Plessis for his captaincy and Faf and Virat [Kohli] for the way they've led from the front as role models and professional sports people. But also the way they've played."

"They both really been great role models for everyone else and the rest of the boys fought really hard to get us back into the tournament," Flower further said.

With the IPL 2025 Mega Auction coming up, Andy Flower will play a crucial role in RCB's team building. His involvement in retention, release, and acquisition decisions is significant. The number of retentions permitted per team will be interesting, and RCB has key decisions to make in that regard.

Also read: T20 World Cup 2024: Andy Flower says a BIG NO to BCCI for India's Head Coach role