IPL 2022 | 'Match-ups are overrated,' exclaims RCB's Mike Hesson

Ever since data analytics took over the game of cricket, 'Match-ups' have become the buzzword for all cricket nerds. Using historical data to find out how one batsman fares against a bowler, or against a particular kind of bowler, has become an integral part of modern cricket.

Ahead of an all-important clash with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Mike Hesson, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) Director of Cricket, felt both the teams were evenly matched. Both the teams are currently at 8 points in 6 games. The winner of the game will join Gujarat Titans at the top of the table. Hesson said both sides are now well-balanced and raring to have a go at the top spot.

"Yeah, very similar balance in terms of the way we structure up and we look to use our bowlers. Obviously, we both bat relatively deep in the order; it's something that both teams looked at at the auction. Both well-balanced sides with some quality up top and power through the middle," said Hesson.

Hesson played down the role of 'match-ups', and felt ultimately; it's the calibre of the player that mattered.

"I don't think it makes a huge difference, to be honest, because we pretty much focus on what we do from a batting perspective. Sure, there's a matter of match-ups but, we don't get too caught up in those, making sure we don't have two left-handers against an offie, and with the short side, making sure that we always have an opportunity to access the short side. That's probably more important than the match-up."

Talking about match-ups from a bowling perspective, he felt his team had a good match-up with the Super Giants. He also said the RCB had put significant efforts into playing the spin combo of Ravi Bishnoi and Krunal Pandya. 

"From a bowling point of view, I think we match up pretty well against them. You know our top order like pace on the ball, they've got plenty of pace up front. They've got some quality spinners, very crafty spinners in the likes of Krunal (Pandya), and obviously, (Ravi) Bishnoi is quite a unique character. There's a bit of work gone into how we're gonna combat that," said Hesson.

Hesson said ultimately; it's about playing better cricket and improving with every match. He believes being methodical in terms of your approach can give you great results at the back end of the tournament.

"We are continuing to try and improve, and that's the constant message that we're sending everybody. Whether we win, whether we lose, we review with a bit of detail, and we're trying to get better. The reality is you have to be playing your best cricket towards the back end of the tournament. Not only to progress, but if you do progress, you have to be playing some good cricket too. We're pretty methodical in terms of that."

The Kiwi coach felt many RCB players hadn't been at their best yet. However, he was praiseful of his team's efforts in the nets. 

"We still have players who haven't quite hit their straps yet, who are training really hard, hitting the ball nicely, ball starting to come out nicely for the likes of (Mohd) Siraj. We're just sort of focused on us," he said.

Bangalore will take on Lucknow on Tuesday (19 April) at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai.