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"Not Ideal" RCB Coach Andy Flower Unhappy With Tight IPL Schedule Despite Venue Change

Akshita Patel

RCB Coach Andy Flower Unhappy [Source: @RCBTweets]RCB Coach Andy Flower Unhappy [Source: @RCBTweets]

Royal Challengers Bengaluru have made it to the IPL 2025 playoffs and are aiming for a top-two finish. However, head coach Andy Flower is not very happy with the tight schedule his team is facing in the final week of the tournament.

RCB's last completed game was way back on May 3. Their match against Kolkata Knight Riders was washed out due to rain. Now, they are playing Sunrisers Hyderabad today in Lucknow and will also play the final league match of the season against Lucknow Super Giants on May 27.

Interestingly, the first two playoff games are scheduled in Mullanpur, Chandigarh, meaning RCB could be in for a hectic travel.

Andy Flower Complains Of Lack Of Preparation Time For Playoffs

If RCB finishes in the top 2, they will have to quickly travel to Mullanpur for Qualifier 1 on May 29. That means they will have less than two days to rest and prepare. Certainly, head coach Andy Flower isn’t happy with the right schedule. 

"That's not your ideal lead-in to a qualifying game. We'll finish late, get to bed quite late, then travel 28th and play 29th, but that's the situation in front of us. The best way is for everyone to take in the reality of that, deal with it and we'll be ready for that game," Flower said (Via India TV).

Meanwhile, RCB was originally supposed to play today’s match against SRH in Bengaluru. However, due to heavy rain in the city, the BCCI shifted the game to Lucknow. Flower said he was disappointed the team couldn't play their last home game in front of their fans, but they had to accept the change.

"We're disappointed not to be playing tomorrow's game in Bangalore, but we've had to roll with that. We trained in Bangalore yesterday around lunch time, flew here, have a training session tonight [Thursday] and we'll be ready to go. The boys have worked really well over the entire season, in the build-up to the first match. They've played some superb cricket through the season. Yes, we've had a little break now but for a couple of our players, that [break] has been a healthy thing," he added.

RCB Receive Major Boost As Patidar, Salt Declared Fit 

Royal Challengers Bengaluru head coach Andy Flower has confirmed that both Rajat Patidar and Phil Salt are fully fit for the crucial IPL 2025 playoff phase. Patidar has recovered from his finger injury, while Salt has bounced back from illness. The break in the schedule due to the India-Pakistan border conflict came at the perfect time, allowing both players to regain full fitness before RCB’s key matches.