RCB Head Coach Andy Flower's Composed Response to Critics Following IPL 2025 Win

Following their first ever IPL triumph in 2025, Royal Challengers Bangalore head coach Andy Flower gave some candid reflections on the team's season and the decisions made at last year's auction. Flower elucidated that constructing a solid bowling unit and selecting veteran players were the most important steps that proved instrumental in RCB finally clinching the trophy. The group beat Punjab Kings by six runs in the final and finished years of waiting for this moment. In Flower's opinion, the process began with making the correct decisions at the time of the mega auction organized in Jeddah Saudi Arabia last November.

The auction is a very crucial step in crafting a team and it must be conducted wisely, said Flower. He noted that team director Mo Bobat had a plan to stretch the budget prudently rather than spending all of it on star batsmen although they are high-class players. The team was aware from the very start that they needed a good bowling attack and they were working on making that possible. Following the auction, several individuals criticized RCB for how they spent their cash but Flower clarified that they viewed this as investing wisely rather than spending. Their wise strategy served them well in acquiring quality players worth their money on the second day of the auction.

The RCB players such as Bhuvneshwar Kumar Krunal Pandya Tim David and Romario Shepherd who were added to the team were extremely valuable in their win. Flower commended young leg spinner Suyash Sharma for keeping his calm under pressure all season and singled out Krunal Pandya as a big match performer whose performance in the final made a significant impact. Pandya's bowling spell with 4 overs 17 runs and 2 wickets secured the victory.

Flower also pointed out the need for experienced players in the squad. Prior to the final he and the squad talked about how the combination of experience kept them calm while under pressure. Players such as Virat Kohli Josh Hazlewood and Krunal Pandya have been involved in a number of high-level games previously which instilled confidence in the squad. Hazlewood possesses World Cup final experience while Kohli and Pandya boast success records in the IPL. Krunal Pandya's fourth IPL title win was regarded as a strong reason for selecting him during the auction. Flower opined that it was a major step in the right direction in regard to the journey of the team to secure these experienced players.

Despite RCB making 190 runs which was not that big a score for the last wicket Flower relied on his bowling attack to defend it. He said that though the average score to win in the season was about 220 runs, scoring 190 in a final still took robust batting. The team had faith in their bowlers and that faith proved beneficial to them ultimately.

Flower credited Dinesh Karthik, who served as a mentor and batting coach for the side. He expressed how important it was to have Indian knowledge and awareness in the coaching set-up throughout the campaign. Flower lauded Karthik's transition from player to coach and stated that his influence over the batsmen was evident.

The pitch on the last day had moisture in it making it more difficult to score runs quickly for the batsmen so the batting was challenging in the first innings. Flower said that if RCB had won the toss they would have preferred to bowl first. The score of 190 seemed low to most but there were aggressive batting sessions from various players that saw the score being achieved. Flower recalled that pursuit of 190 under the pressure of cup win was a great test so although the toss was lost the team conducted themselves professionally and remained calm to secure the match.

Summarily Flower's composed answer demonstrated how the team's approach during the auction the combination of experience and fresh talent and their confidence in their bowling made all the difference. The vitriol that they received after the auction just went to demonstrate that good planning and patience are all that was required. RCB's maiden IPL title was a result of meticulous team building trust among players and robust leadership by the coaching crew.