KKR batter Manish Pandey has said that the team has nothing much to lose now in the IPL 2025 season and will be aiming for a strong finish to the campaign. KKR will face RCB on May 17 as the IPL campaign restarts.
00:00Obviously a very special, you know, always come back to Chinnaswamy Stadium and play for whichever team I'm playing for, very happy.
00:06Looking forward to this contest tomorrow and I think both the teams are ready.
00:10Obviously after this small gap in the middle of a couple of days, we all are ready and happy to play this game.
00:18Manish, when a tournament is in full swing, a break like this, what does it do to you all mentally?
00:24It doesn't really change much because, you know, as professional cricketers, we know what's happening and what's to be done.
00:32We definitely knew that we will resume the tournament, but we didn't know how soon and how late.
00:37But it was good that we didn't have a lot of break in the middle.
00:40We were still practicing and gyming and doing our work and things are happy.
00:44And we all, as I said, you know, the whole team is here.
00:46Everyone's ready to go and looking forward to have a great game tomorrow.
00:54This is really a must-win match for you, like you lose and you're out of the tournament.
01:01So does that change things?
01:02Does that sort of free you guys up a bit?
01:06I mean, yeah, that could happen to any team.
01:08You know, nothing much to lose from here.
01:10Actually, we just thought we could have had a better tournament as a team.
01:13We all were discussing that.
01:14But, you know, nevertheless, we lost a few games in the middle.
01:18If you think about those crucial games, you wish now that, you know, you wish that you had won those games.
01:24But, yeah, definitely two more games to go.
01:26Everybody is wanting to perform.
01:28Whoever the playing 11, playing 12 would be, would just come strong.
01:32And especially in a stadium like Chinnaswamy and where RCB fans are there, you know,
01:37obviously want to win against these guys.
01:40And if we do that, we have one more game in, you know, a couple more games.
01:44One in Delhi too.
01:46So I think win the last two and see how the tournament's panned out for us after that.
01:51Manish, you spoke about a couple of matches that you could have won that you lost.
01:56You look at the team and it's really a strong and solid unit, pretty much the core of what was there last year.
02:02As a collective, have you sort of been able to put a finger on what it is that you've not been able to do this year
02:06that the results haven't gone your way?
02:08I just think, you know, last year we were winning games, you know, we won a lot of games on the trot,
02:13which is very important in a tournament like IPL.
02:15This time we were winning one, we were losing one.
02:18The whole tournament was like that.
02:19Plus, you know, this break that happened last week.
02:23I just feel we were just winning a lot of games last year.
02:26That's the only difference, which is from last year to this year.
02:29I think our batting's been fine.
02:32We have been bowling really well.
02:33It's been a year where it's been a little patchy, you know, in terms of both the performances, batting and bowling.
02:39So definitely, you know, the coaches and the playing members would be thinking about it.
02:44Hopefully, we have a similar strong core for next year as well and try and win games like we were doing last year.
02:52So, obviously, the preparation is good.
03:15So, only 12, we will be playing tomorrow.
03:21So, personally, I'm really happy to come back to Bangalore and play the game here.
03:26Even if I don't play tomorrow, I'll be, you know, cheering the guys from the dugout and wishing and hoping that we win.
03:32The teams are very much, you know, very much ready for the last couple of games
03:38and we want to end up on a winning note and, you know, take some happy memories back home.
03:45Manish, as a batter, the kind of preparation you have to do, especially with the impact player rule.
03:49I mean, there was a game last year in Mumbai where you came in and you had to suddenly, you know,
03:53take the team through and you did that superbly.
03:56This year, again, you've come in in such situations a couple of times.
03:59Does that change the way you train and prepare as a batter?
04:02No, actually, it doesn't.
04:03You know, obviously, it's not a great spot to be in because you don't know till the time we have gotten into a batter.
04:08So, there's nothing certain about that situation of an impact batter.
04:12But, you know, nothing really changes.
04:13We are used to, you know, practice every time that we want to.
04:18And we hope that we play the game and we change the dynamics of the game in favor of our team.
04:23So, nothing really changes.
04:25You just want to go out there and win games for your team.
04:27It doesn't matter which team you're playing for.
04:30Hi, Manish.
04:31Just, you spoke about the patchy form of KKR.
04:35Does that break now in a way help reorganize the plans?
04:39And in a way you are starting from scratch and take every game as a knockout now?
04:44Yeah, definitely.
04:45I mean, you know, as you said, rightly, it's been a little patchy.
04:48But, and a break like this could definitely help.
04:52I'm pretty sure guys would have gone back home and seen their videos and try and work on a few things that, you know, they didn't have that opportunity to.
05:00So, I think, yeah, it should be a good break.
05:02And, as I said, you know, the only thing I'm hoping is just winning the last two games and ending on a high.
