Raipur, May 10 (IANS) Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Tim David backed the side to stay committed to its strengths despite suffering consecutive defeats, saying the team remains focused on regaining momentum as they take on the Mumbai Indians in a crucial Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash here on Sunday.

RCB won the toss and elected to bowl first against MI at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, the venue that’s serving as the franchise’s new home venue for the remainder of the season. The Rajat Patidar-led side enters the contest after losses to the Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants, which led to the defending champions slipping to fourth place in the standings.

Speaking ahead of the match, David said the team had reflected on the recent setbacks but stressed the importance of trusting the methods that brought success earlier in the tournament.

“You can obviously identify shortcomings from the games, but of course, you’ve got to back your strengths. That’s what’s put us in the position of playing so well so far this season. So try and go on with a clear mind and enjoy the match,” the Australian told the broadcasters ahead of the toss.

The Australian batter, who has often been deployed as a finisher for RCB this season, also spoke about his preparation for high-pressure batting roles and admitted the team had limited time to assess conditions in Raipur due to rain interruptions.

“We had good preparation coming into this game. We hopped on a flight, and it rained all of yesterday. So a couple of unknowns going into today, but yeah, like you say, just try and be clear-minded and enjoy the game and get into a contest with the opposition,” he said.

David also shared his thoughts on the dimensions of the Raipur venue, joking about wanting to measure the boundaries before play began, stating, “As I was walking out here, I thought I’d forgotten my golf range finder. I was going to try and give it a little zap. But the boys are talking about it being a bigger ground here. I’ve played here once, and I remember guys hitting into the grandstand. So, you know, if it comes out of the middle of the bat and you watch the ball closely, it’s not an issue. If you start miss-hitting, then that’s when it becomes an issue.”

With RCB still strongly placed in the race for the playoffs despite their recent slump, David said the experienced squad understands the importance of remaining focused on controllable factors rather than getting distracted by the points table.

“It’s easier said. I think we’ve got a very experienced playing group, and we understand what it takes to get to this stage of the tournament. And honestly, we’re just focusing on ourselves. Well, we can control, and yeah, it’s nice when you are at the top, but we want to regain that momentum, and we want to get stuck in,” David mentioned.

Asked specifically about the boundary dimensions at one end of the ground, David responded with a light-hearted remark, saying, “It looks bigger than that. But yeah, I mean, if you hit a six and it’s under 70 metres, you’d be disappointed.”

–IANS

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