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Bengaluru, April 3: Gary Kirsten, the Royal Challengers Bangalore, coach said on Friday (April 3) that the team went through a disappointing season and would have liked to have had better results and added that team would be looking to add strength to some specific areas. Kirsten spoke to reporters on the eve of RCB's match against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M Chinnaswamy stadium here on Saturday (April 4).
Summing up the RCB season: It's been a disappointing season. Obviously, we would have liked to have had better results. I've been very encouraged with the second half of the season, since we only got two points in the first half. But we've won four of our last seven games, and one of them was a rained out game. So that's kind of back to the kind of consistency you need. We started to really get things going in the second half, but unfortunately, in IPL if you have a bad start you're always going to be struggling. So it's been disappointing. We've struggled in certain areas that we thought we would be okay in, so for next year we're going to have make sure we build some strength in those specific areas.
On Structural changes and what are the areas to build on: There are some structural changes that need to be made that have maybe been around for quite a long time. This is my first year as the head coach, so I've got a better understanding of what those are. We'll certainly discuss with our owners and look into that for next year.
It's not difficult to work out the areas that we've struggled, those were seen in the matches. When you look at the beginning before IPL starts and you look at every team, I think some of the experts were saying that we were going to get into the playoffs. All teams have got strengths in them and all teams have weaknesses. You've got to hide those weaknesses as best you can and make sure your strengths are working really well. And if they're not and you're losing games on the line, it makes a big difference.
"Two big games that cost us that we should have won at the beginning of the season was Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders here. We lost both those games having played really good cricket for 95 percent of the game. Literally in 12 balls the game changed... in six balls. Those kind of games if you're not winning them, they start to affect you big time during the season, because we know that IPL is incredibly unpredictable and that games that you should be winning, you need to win.
On coaching staff changes: It's been good. I've enjoyed the new coaches that we've had on board. Everyone's trying to find their feet. Unfortunately there are no quick fixes in IPL, you need to move as quickly as you can to get the results you're looking for. And sometimes when you're making quite a lot of shifts around, it takes time. I've always been a fan of - as I'm sure all the coaches are in this IPL - a fan of continuity. You want to try and build your core of players and build a culture where you can keep coming back to the same players. I think the most successful franchises in IPL have done that. We're searching for that in RCB.
"While there might be some structural change next year, I'm hopeful and confident we'll have some continuity in our players. Because we need to really start building a core of players that we believe in, and back them. I think the franchises that do a lot of chopping and changing every year run into problems. Because IPL is not about an individual performing every IPL, that's just not going to happen. But if you keep backing guys they are going to come good for you in one season.
On Virat Kohli enjoying after game six, and pressure until then of winning: My view is you are only having fun when you are winning. I understand the point he is making but it is always tough when you are not winning games. The IPL is an incredibly intense competition. In my view, in domestic T20 cricket around the world, there is nothing even remotely like it and I think all the players feel the pressure, especially guys who are new to the IPL come here with their eyes wide open. They cannot believe how intense the games are.
"Senior players feel that pressure as well. It's a big tournament and you need to understand how to prepare yourself in such a way that you are best suited to performing in this event. That's always the plan when we leave here and get the guys ready but as someone has said rightly, you got to have a good start in these tournaments. If you are on the back foot early and you have lost most of your games I the first half, you get into trouble in the second half. We have tried to pull it back. I thought we did a reasonably good job in pulling it back in the second half but it is always going to be tough winning seven out of seven.
