IPL 2024: ‘They don’t even understand English,’ Virender Sehwag blasts RCB management for poor IPL showing

Virender Sehwag has lambasted the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team management saying the lack of Indian support staff was hurting the franchise's fortunes.

Speaking after the RCB vs SRH match at Chinnaswamy where the hosts received a thumping after men-in-orange set a record-breaking target of 288, Sehwag did not mince his words on what ailed the Bengaluru-based team.

"If you have 12-15 Indian players, just 10 overseas and your entire staff is made of foreigners, that's an issue. Only a few of them are international players, rest are all Indians and half of them don't even understand English," Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.

"How will you motivate them? Who spends time with them? Who talks to them? I can't see a single Indian staff member. At least there should be someone who the players can confide in," he added.

RCB has a predominantly foreign coaching staff, led by head coach Andy Flower and bowling coach Adam Griffith. However, the problems for the franchise appear to be deeper than the language barrier, as pointed out by Sehwag's co-panelist, Manoj Tiwary, the former Indian batter.

"I know where the problem is. From the auction table to the management. All the good players of this franchise leave to go and play for other teams. One of them is the leading wicket-taker this season [Yuzvendra Chahal]. You let them go. You don't persist with Virat Kohli's captaincy. He led them to the 2016 final," said Tiwary.

SRH break all records

Travis Head started the proceedings by smashing a 39-ball hundred which was the fastest for a SRH batter and the fourth-fastest overall. The men-in-orange continued the onslaught courtesy of Heinrich Klaasen and shattered their own record of 277, set earlier in the season against Mumbai Indians.

RCB were sluggish in the field throughout and the bowlers looked devoid of ideas. Skipper Faf failed to arrest the slide and allowed SRH batters to seize the momentum.

The batting lineup did put up some fight but the total remained out of reach nonetheless. Having won only one match and lost five on the bounce, RCB find themselves at the bottom of the points table with a spot in the playoffs looking highly unlikely at this stage.

(With inputs from agencies)