No team underestimate RCB's quality: Daniel Vettori

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) currently sit at the bottom of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 table with just one win in six matches. They take on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on April 15 (Sunday) in a bid to get their campaign back on track.

SRH head coach Daniel Vettori believes that no team will underestimate the quality of RCB and insists that his side have to be at their best to walk out of Bengaluru with two points.

"I don't think anyone in any team underestimates the quality of RCB. They're a very good team. So, it's going to take an exceptional performance from us to try and beat them. Every game is hard and particularly when you're playing away from home," Vettori said during the pre-match press conference.

"RCB will obviously keep learning from what's happened in the previous games and they're going to come out pretty aggressive. We're going to be under a lot of pressure as a bowling unit for how aggressive they are going to be.

"So, we need to find ways to counter that and then keep up with our batting form which has been really good."

Vettori is aware that we could expect a high-scoring fixture once again at the Chinnaswamy and like many, his side too would prefer to chase here.

“I think most teams come here thinking that it's going to be a high-scoring fixture. I've probably seen a couple of surfaces this year that have been slightly slower," he said.

"We understand the ball travels here and the boundary sizes are small. So, I think you have to keep challenging yourself to try and take wickets because any team can score that 60-70 at the backend.

"I know no score is safe and I always feel like you're in the game, particularly when you are chasing. Most teams will come here and try to chase because they feel that it's easier to navigate the endings."

Vettori, who has previously had stints with RCB as player and coach, lavished praise on Heinrich Klaasen for the explosive cricket he has played in this tournament, likening him to someone of the calibre of Andre Russell. The South African wicketkeeper-batter has smashed 186 from five matches at a strike rate of 193 so far.

"He's been exceptional for a long period of time and he's in that category of the likes of Russell where teams really fear him in that backend and they set up their bowling plans to try and negate him," Vettori said.

"But he's been so good for such a long period of time that he has allowed us to either win the games or always be in the game."

SRH are in good form at the moment, having won their last two games. Overall, they have six points in their kitty in five matches.

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