How the Break Due to Operation Sindoor Helped RCB Win IPL 2025? Coach Andy Flower Reveals
orangeevaPosted on June 5, 2025 by Eva
05
Jun
Andy Flower served as the head coach of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in IPL 2025. RCB clinched their maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) title by defeating Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the final. The Bengaluru-based team secured a thrilling six-run victory over PBKS to lift the trophy for the first time in the tournament’s history.
After the historic win, head coach Andy Flower credited the break during “Operation Sindoor” as a key factor behind the team’s success. On April 22, a Pakistan-based terrorist group launched an attack on innocent tourists in Pahalgam, located in the Kashmir valley, resulting in the deaths of 26 people.
In response, the Indian Armed Forces launched air strikes in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) under “Operation Sindoor” to target terrorist camps. However, the operation led to increased border tensions between India and Pakistan in the northwestern regions.
Andy Flower Explains How IPL 2025 Suspension Benefited RCB
The 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) faced an unexpected pause due to rising border tensions between India and Pakistan. On May 9, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the immediate suspension of the tournament. However, play resumed eight days later, on May 17. The interruption followed the partial suspension of a match between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Delhi Capitals (DC) in Dharamsala on May 8 due to security concerns.
After RCB clinched the IPL 2025 title, head coach Andy Flower addressed the media during the post-final press conference and revealed how the break caused by Operation Sindoor proved to be a blessing in disguise for his team. According to Flower, the suspension allowed key players like Rajat Patidar and Josh Hazlewood enough time to recover from their respective injuries.
“Even tonight, while we were celebrating, a couple of players told me that the break gave Hazlewood time to fully recover, and more importantly, it allowed Rajat to heal his hand injury. Unfortunately, we still missed Tim David and Devdutt Padikkal from our original squad — they were crucial parts of our plans,” said Flower.
Rajat Patidar had sustained a finger injury nearly a week before the suspension and was only able to feature as an Impact Player in the final two league games. Meanwhile, Hazlewood had returned to Australia to rehabilitate a shoulder injury but managed to rejoin the squad just before the playoffs.
Flower further mentioned that the break gave the team some much-needed breathing space.
“For those who believe in fate, I’m sure they’ll have their own version of the story. Clearly, there were bigger issues unfolding than RCB lifting the trophy, and we all understood that. But yes, the break did help us regroup. We had a slow start before that,” he added.
In the IPL 2025 final, RCB posted 191/9 batting first against PBKS. They then successfully defended the target, restricting Punjab to 184/7. Virat Kohli was RCB’s top scorer in the final with 43 runs and ended the season as the team’s leading run-scorer with 657 runs. Josh Hazlewood topped the wicket charts for the team, finishing with 22 wickets.
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