We’re blessed with incredibly loyal fans, says Mo Bobat

“For me, the real aim and aspiration is to inspire our fans. We're blessed with incredibly loyal fans, and I think our number one task is to inspire them,” he said

Hyderabad: Royal Challengers Bengaluru Director Mo Bobat said that one doesn’t have to spend too long in Bengaluru before someone reminds you that you’ve got a trophy to win.

“For me, the real aim and aspiration is to inspire our fans. We’re blessed with incredibly loyal fans, and I think our number one task is to inspire them,” he said.

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“How we do that is obviously winning games of cricket, but it’s the way we play and the things that we achieve along the way. Even last season, I’m pretty sure that the way we turned our season around was an inspiration to people,” Bobat said.

On Dinesh Karthik joining the RCB coaching staff, Bobat said that in DK’s case, they were really keen to add him the moment they were aware that he was contemplating retirement.

“And in fact, even before then, I thought he was somebody that would really add value as a coach,” he said.

Reflecting on how the auction panned out, Bobat said that nobody gets everything they want at an auction.

“It’s pretty much impossible. But I think we got predominantly what we wanted in terms of playing personnel,” he said.

“But more importantly, with the actual shape of the team and the vision of that team — that Andy and I spent so much time thinking about and talking about — we pretty much nailed that,” Bobat said.

“And that’s probably been the satisfying thing this season — that you get to see that come to life on the field,” he said.

On the approach and mindset for the new season, Bobat said they were trying to play in a way quite similar to how they played in the second half of last season.

“We want to be as aggressive as we can with the bat. We want to have a real wicket-taking approach with the ball. We want to be fighters on the field and play really aggressive cricket,” he said.

“We also want to be the type of team that’s resilient and can deal with pressure and the challenges that we’re faced with,” he said.

Discussing the impact Karthik has made in his new role, Bobat said that the main thing they wanted from DK was to be a mentor — a word that gets used a lot, especially in the IPL.

“I think he’s doing a really good job of bringing that to life,” he added.

On the coaching atmosphere under Andy Flower, Bobat said they had really enjoyed watching Andy head coach slightly differently this year than he did last year.

“The team has changed and the captain has changed. Essentially, we share the principle that we would like our players to walk onto the field and make their own decisions,” Bobat said.

“And to do that, you’ve got to create a decision-rich environment on and off the field,” he said.

“For Andy and me, creating a sort of environment where people feel safe, where they feel backed, where they feel like they’re accountable for their own decisions, and where they’re able to hopefully showcase their strengths — that’s the key bit,” Bobat said.