IPL 2026 | We exert no influence with regard to surface, says RCB's Director of Cricket Mo Bobat

Bengaluru: While conceding that the Chinnaswamy pitch no longer always conformed to a batter-friendly image, Mo Bobat, RCB's Director of Cricket, encouraged his players to adapt their games according to the conditions.     

"We've got a BCCI curator here who's leading on the pitch preparation, so we don't know who might have influence on it," said Bobat here on Thursday when asked if RCB no longer have home advantage. "It's a home venue in terms of city and stadium, but by surface we exert no influence. Yeah, it's been a fairly different wicket, I suppose, over the last two and a half years that I've been involved.

"We feel like we've got a decent grasp of it. It isn't always the same. For us, it doesn't change the way we prepare for games, though. We always say to the players that part of their job as cricketers is to assess the conditions in front of them and adapt whatever is required. We might prepare with a certain view, but the reality is they're out in the middle and they've got to assess what's in front of them and they've got to adapt their games accordingly," he offered.

RCB, who are placed third on the table, have maintained their position in the top half with the league almost half-way through. Bobat said he is pleased with where he finds the team. 

"We'd obviously rather not have the two defeats, but it's pleasing to have four wins," he noted. "The most pleasing thing is in most games we've played good cricket. You've probably heard me speak a few times now that the way we play our cricket is the most important thing. On the whole, we've played the way we want to play and that's how I tend to judge what we do. If you do that consistently, the results take care of themselves. That's probably been the most encouraging thing."

"We don't think too far ahead for the second half of the competition. The table is still pretty tight. We can win one game and move up a lot or lose one and drop down a bit. We're not looking at the lead table too much right now. We just want to win this next game the way we want to play and that will be what we take into the game after that. It's a long brood stage. Things can change. You probably remember my first season when we were one win from eight and things changed quite dramatically after that. That's taught me to never take anything for granted."

RCB have played with an ultra-aggressive mindset in the tournament so far, refusing to take the foot off the pedal even when they have lost wickets by the bundle. Bobat emphasised the need to maintain the approach.

"Ultimately, I want us to play aggressive cricket -- aggressive with the bat and aggressive with the ball," he said. "I want us to be brave, brave when those moments really require bravery when the game is on the line or things get a little bit difficult. If we're aggressive and brave through every phase, I think we'll play the way we want to play."