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RCB’s team director talks about the side’s performance in the first half of the 2023 IPL, Faf du Plessis’ captaincy, and how Maxwell and Siraj have dealt with additional responsibility

Interview by Matt Roller30-Apr-2023Royal Challengers Bangalore have had an up-and-down IPL 2023, winning four and losing four of their first eight games – six of which have been at their home ground, the Chinnaswamy Stadium. They will play their next five away due to the upcoming Karnataka assembly elections.Mike Hesson, RCB’s director of cricket, sat down with ESPNcricinfo in Bengaluru the day before their defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders to discuss his first three and a half seasons in charge of the side.This is your fourth season with RCB, but your first based in Bengaluru. How have you found it, being here at home base?
It’s been great. Everyone involved in RCB has talked about how great Chinnaswamy is, and it certainly hasn’t under-delivered in terms of the intensity and the whole environment around it: the drive to the ground, seeing the whole city behind the team. It’s a pretty cool place to be. We are pretty keen to put on a show, and we’ve played pretty well at home this year as well.We’re about to get on the road for three weeks. The IPL is always pretty intense, and obviously with ten teams now, there’s no break or respite. It’s been good fun.What has the challenge of playing so many of your early games at the Chinnaswamy been like?
You get used to the conditions. Each pitch here is slightly different, so it’s not like you can just plug and play; you have to adapt to it. It’s a great place to bat, especially for top-order batters, and as the tournament unfolds, different players will be exposed to different challenges. But when you play six of your first eight at Chinnaswamy, it’s a tough ask for some.Related

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How much impact has the Impact Player rule had on IPL 2023?

When you arrived at RCB, they hadn’t qualified for the playoffs for three years, and had a reputation as an up-and-down team. How do you reflect on the progress you’ve made?
We’d obviously struggled for a couple of years. It was just about coming in and working with the people we had here to try and give some real consistency and structure around how we want to play the game, and how that would work with the types of players we want for the conditions we are likely to play in.That was challenged, because we didn’t really know where the tournaments were going to be each year. You could pick a team for Chinnaswamy and not know whether you’re going to be here or not. But I think across the last three years, we’ve provided a really stable platform for the playing group. It’s very hard to think that you’re going to be consistent on the park if off the park we are inconsistent, so that’s one of the things we’ve definitely worked really hard to bring.There is some satisfaction of being the only team that has made the playoffs three years in a row, but it’s also provided some frustration as well: the fact that we’ve got ourselves some opportunities and we haven’t quite played our best cricket at the right time. Winning tournaments is about firing at the right time – and making sure that obviously you make the playoffs first. There is a little sense of satisfaction but also a sense of a job unfulfilled just yet.One of the biggest decisions of your tenure was identifying a replacement for Virat Kohli, when he stepped down as captain after the 2021 season. How did you settle on Faf du Plessis?
Virat’s a very hard man to replace – and to be captain when your ex-captain is still there is incredibly difficult. You’ve got to be quite a strong character and really have the changing room [on your side]. You can’t be a developing captain. We thought we had to have an established captain with a lot of those core experiences.We’d spent a lot of time looking at all the gaps that we had in our squad. We looked at Indian players as well, and we went pretty hard for one or two. We settled relatively late on Faf, but we thought he ticked a lot of our boxes: he was highly experienced and still a high-quality player. We never knew at that time whether we’d be able to get a full three-year cycle out of somebody at that age [37, at the time of the mega auction], but the fact that he’s incredibly fit gave us a lot more confidence.He was almost a “plug and play”. He knew Virat and [Glenn] Maxwell very well; they had a great relationship. He had a reputation for working equally well with overseas and domestic players, which is critical – to have an overseas player that comes in [as captain] and doesn’t have that empathy towards how a team works could have been a disaster. The more we talked to people about Faf, the more he was our target.”Mohammed Siraj’s seam presentation is as good as I’ve seen it, and he’s bowling a good bouncer. Add that to the fact he’s bowling quick, and no wonder he is challenging the top order”•Aijaz Rahi/Associated PressIn 2021, you brought in Glenn Maxwell, who had just come off a poor season with Punjab Kings. What has helped him become a more consistent IPL batter over the last three years?
Often people think of Maxwell as a finisher. We saw him in a different light, as actually someone who can bat throughout the innings. Just because he can play shots all around the wicket, it doesn’t necessarily mean he can hit from ball one when the field’s out; that’s a tough ask for anyone, especially when some of the wickets are slow.We gave him responsibility. We said, “We actually think you’re a high-quality batter, rather than just a finisher”, and he’s thrived on that responsibility. We know he is a wonderful player of spin but we also know that his game’s developed hugely against pace. We’ve also tried to give a bit of clarity around the idea that if you have to go in early, we trust that you can do that, rather than potentially trying to hide him or slide him down to have a certain entry point.Maxi is a great team man. Hugely passionate, which I like. I like that competitive spirit. That’s why him and Virat get on really well. Any good team has a lot of different types of characters, and he’s a nice free spirit combined nicely with the other two [du Plessis and Kohli].The three players you mention – du Plessis, Kohli and Maxwell – have scored over two-thirds of your runs this season, and the rest of the batting line-up has struggled to make an impact. It’ll be hard to win an IPL without them contributing at some stage, so how do you intend to get more out of them?
We saw that last year: our top order wasn’t as successful, and the likes of Shahbaz [Ahmed] and DK [Dinesh Karthik] held our team together. [Mahipal] Lomror was very good towards the end of last year too, and different players stood up to get us through the playoffs. This year we’ve played six of our first eight at Chinnaswamy, which is very much a top-order type of surface – if you get in, you cash in – so therefore, the opportunities for the middle order are limited.Three of those games have been played on slower surfaces, so when the ball gets soft, it’s harder to score. Other than the Chennai game – which was at night and on a very good wicket throughout, where you could accelerate – the opportunities were slightly different. We have a lot of confidence in the rest of the batting group, that when the opportunity arises, they’ll grab it.Last year our top order was getting hammered in the powerplay and we were saved by the middle order, so I think it’s more conditions-based. We’ve got a lot of confidence in that Indian middle-order domestic group. It’s a long tournament, and they don’t actually have put their mind back that far for when they were some of our best performers.Hesson on the Impact Player rule: “If you got three wickets in the powerplay previously, you could squeeze the middle. Now they keep going hard at you”•Manjunath Kiran/AFP/Getty ImagesMohammed Siraj has had a breakthrough season after a tough 2022. What is he doing differently? His lengths have been much more consistent with the new ball.
I think those lengths in the powerplay are probably a flow-on from confidence. He’s played a lot of one-day cricket, where you’ve got to do your core skills over and over again, and he’s become very good at those core skills. When you get confident doing that, you can repeat them; if you’re not, you can go searching a little bit.He’s been exceptionally good at what he does. His seam presentation is as good as I’ve seen it, with both his outswing and his three-quarter ball, and he’s bowling a good bouncer. You add that to the fact he’s bowling quick, and no wonder he is challenging the top order. With that, you grow confidence with your back-end bowling as well. You’re coming back with confidence and you’re used more as a weapon rather than the captain thinking, “Where can we fit you in?”I’m delighted for Siraj. Everyone knows he had a tough year last year but the fact he’s been really good for India – he’s one of their first picks in white-ball cricket – has flowed into his work here.And he’s been leading the attack in the absence of Josh Hazlewood.
He’s thrived on it from the very first game. We gave Siraj the first over and said, “Look, you are the leader of our attack.” He thrives under that sort of confidence. Every time I’ve asked him to deliver in the powerplay, he has set the tone for us. If you add [David] Willey or Hazelwood to that, it’s a challenging opening attack.How much of a difference will Hazlewood make?
Look, he will [make a difference]. But also to be fair to [Reece] Topley, [Wayne] Parnell and Willey, they’ve been really good for us. When you miss a guy of Hazlewood’s quality… obviously we invested a lot of money in him, because we knew he’d do that job, so the fact that our back-up bowlers have done such a good job is exciting for us.Wanindu Hasaranga arrived late this year, and has had a fairly quiet start to the season. Do you see him coming into the game more during this stretch of away games?
I thought he was exceptional against RR [Rajasthan Royals]. Chinnaswamy, for spinners, is an incredibly tough place to bowl. It took Yuzi [Chahal] a little while, and now he’s a genius at it, but it’s a tough place to bowl for any spinner. Any bowler has to learn to adapt to distinctly different conditions: altitude, small boundaries, mishits going for six, you’ve got to find a way of having some more defensive skills, and I thought he was very good.”Everyone involved in RCB has talked about how great Chinnaswamy is, and it certainly hasn’t under-delivered in terms of the intensity: the drive to the ground, seeing the whole city behind the team”•AFP/Getty ImagesWill we see Hasaranga batting up the order at some stage? That seemed to be a major reason that you brought him in, having released Chahal.
Absolutely. The beauty of Wani is that he’s versatile in how he plays. I think the Impact rule has probably meant that all sides are playing an extra batter, so that’s probably limited his opportunities so far. But that doesn’t mean that, in different parts of the tournament, we won’t be very confident to throw him in and get him to take on not only spin but pace as well once he’s set.What have you made of the Impact Player rule?
Personally, I’m not a big fan of it. I think that it takes the Indian allrounders out of the game, which a lot of our squad have spent time working on. I wouldn’t say I’m a traditionalist, but I think there needs to be a good reason for change. If you’re trying to develop allrounders, some of them don’t start as batting at No. 5 and bowling four overs – you have to transition them into that role. I think this has made that a little bit harder.Looking at the positive side of it, I think it’s made a heck of a lot of close finishes because the game’s never over. If you got three wickets in the powerplay previously, you could squeeze the middle. Now, they keep going hard at you. The game has definitely changed; it’s probably one reason why we haven’t seen too many one-sided games.Do you think there’s been a change in how top-order batters have played, with the extra batting depth?
Yeah, I mean, we’ve faced Shahrukh Khan at No. 8. They just keep coming at you. It’s more in the middle overs than the top. At the top, sides come hard anyway, but in the middle overs, between 7 and 11 used to be sort of “soft” overs. Now, sides are still coming hard at you. That’s where I think the game has changed the most.RCB have often taken early wickets – but opponents have still been able to attack, as we saw in the defeats to CSK and LSG.
You’ve got to shift your targets. Five [wickets] in 15 [overs] used to give you an open end; now, you’ve got to probably get at least one more. That means you have to continue to attack, not just defend.Those middle overs – the little soft overs – are now a heck a lot more challenging and your middle-order players now can’t just get themselves into the innings cause they’ve actually got to continue to take the game on. It’s definitely changed the game.

Afghanistan star is currently the joint-highest wicket-taker at the Hundred

Matt Roller16-Aug-2021Rashid Khan comes on to bowl in the 275th game of his six-year T20 career, playing for his 13th different team under his 23rd different captain at his 64th different ground. Most of the Hundred’s star overseas names pulled out long before the start of this season but Trent Rockets made Khan their No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft and he is not the sort to let people down.Khan runs in with Manchester Originals flying at 70 for 1 off 40 balls in a must-win game for Rockets, with Phil Salt, his Sussex and Adelaide Strikers team-mate and one of his best friends in cricket, in his sights. Khan’s first ball is a low full toss towards leg stump, and Salt gets down to sweep, top-edging a catch straight to Samit Patel at short fine leg.Related

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• The Hundred playoff scenarios: Five sides still in contention for women's eliminator; three teams eye men's final

There is no exuberant celebration. Instead, Khan smiles wryly, winking at Lewis Gregory and then bumping fists. Two balls later, Colin Ackermann attempts a sweep and is struck on the shoulder by a wicked googly, which gets him lbw. Khan roars out an appeal, then high-fives Tom Moores with his tongue sticking out to the side. The usual grin is missing.Khan takes a superb running catch in the next set of five, then yorks Carlos Brathwaite with a quicker one to take his third wicket in his first six balls. Originals have lost five wickets for four runs, and Khan is involved in all of them. His trademark aeroplane celebration comes out before he is mobbed by his team-mates. He has turned the game on its head in the space of ten minutes.The wickets were Khan’s 381st, 382nd and 383rd in his T20 career, nudging him back into fifth in the all-time list, and the sacrifices he has made to become the world’s best spinner in the format are immense. He told the before this tournament that he has spent 25 days at home in the last five years, and he has lost both of his parents in the last three. “I don’t get enough time to be with the family but at the same time it is the start of my career so I have to struggle,” he said.His performances over the last three weeks – which have put him joint-top of the Hundred’s wicket-taking charts – have come within a wider context. He has posted on social media several times about the worsening humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, usually with a simple message: “Don’t leave us in chaos. Stop killing Afghans and destroying Afghanistan.”On Sunday, his tweet after the Taliban seized Kabul by force, leading the president and thousands of foreign nationals to flee, was particularly straightforward: “Peace,” followed by three praying emojis and three Afghan flags. Last month, he addressed the situation by saying: “As a player it makes you super sad. It hurts a lot, but at the same time we are just trying our best to do something special in the field to make [people at home] happy.”Patel, his team-mate, acknowledged that Khan had been “subdued” in comparison to his usual exuberant self. “He wasn’t as upbeat as normal, and that’s understandable,” he said. “It’s so fresh and we had the game to concentrate on, which was a good distraction for him. He tried to put in a match-winning performance and that comes from his inner self.

“For Rashid to turn up and put on a performance like this under the pressure that he is currently under.. it’s probably one of the most heartwarming stories of the Hundred”Kevin Pietersen

“He’s 100% committed in any game that he plays. I’ve been lucky enough to play franchise cricket with him and I know that you cannot fault Rashid Khan – he’s an absolute gem to have in any team, in all aspects. The way he plays his cricket is full on and that’s a credit to Rash. He’s a world-class performer.””There’s a lot of things that are happening at home,” Kevin Pietersen said on Sky Sports during the innings break. “We had a long chat here on the boundary talking about it and he’s worried: he can’t get his family out of Afghanistan and there’s a lot of things happening for him.”For him to turn up and put on a performance like this under the pressure that he is currently under… for him to be able to forget that stuff and navigate his story and continue the momentum that he has – I think that’s probably one of the most heart-warming stories of this Hundred so far.”Khan is ubiquitous in T20 cricket worldwide: you can flick on any game from any league worldwide and there is every chance that he will be playing, celebrating, or slicing helicopter shots for six over point. Nobody has played as many games as him in the format since his debut in 2015 and nobody has taken as many wickets.The result is that we take this phenomenon for granted. Khan is a 22-year-old Afghan, bowling quick legspin and hitting sixes everywhere from Adelaide to Abu Dhabi and from Trent Bridge to Trinidad. He has been a trailblazer for cricketers from his nation to the extent that every team in the world wants him to play for them.His life and his career have unfolded with the constant backdrop of bloodshed and pain at home, at a time when most people have associated the word ‘Afghanistan’ with a war rather than a country. It is a credit to Khan that even with the backdrop of political turmoil and internal conflict, many now associate it with him, too.

Over the last couple of years, Tottenham Hotspur have splashed the cash in the attacking department to try and soften the blow of Harry Kane’s departure in 2023.

The Lilywhites spent £55m on the services of Mohammed Kudus this summer, with the Ghanaian occupying a starting role under Thomas Frank off the right-hand side of the frontline.

He’s already made an immediate impact in North London, as seen by his tally of one goal and four assists in the Premier League – with the latter the joint-highest of any player in the division.

However, club-record signing Dominic Solanke has struggled for fitness this campaign, with the £65m addition currently being restricted to just 31 minutes of league action due to an ongoing ankle issue.

Despite the struggles of the Englishman, one first-team member who’s been injury-free has often struggled to meet the high expectations he’s set for himself at the club.

How Johnson compares to Premier League wingers in 2025/26

Last season was arguably the best of Brennan Johnson’s professional career, with the winger ending the campaign on a total of 18 goals across all competitions.

Such a tally was the highest in the first-team squad, which undoubtedly helped catapult the Lilywhites to Europa League glory under Ange Postecoglou’s guidance.

However, many expected the Welshman to kick on after scoring the winner in the final, but Kudus and Frank’s arrival has seen a huge decline in his numbers during the first few months of 2025/26.

The 24-year-old has only registered a total of 0.9 shots per 90 in the league this season, with such a tally ranking him in the 12% percentile – meaning 88% of wingers have managed more in the Premier League.

He’s also created just 0.7 chances per 90 to date, placing him in the 18th percentile, which has restricted him to registering zero assists for his teammates at present.

Johnson has massively struggled to get past the opposition, with his tally of 0.5 dribbles completed per 90 showcasing his lack of impact – subsequently placing him in the 23rd percentile compared to other wingers.

As a result of his dismal form in North London, the club have been constantly on the lookout for other talents, which has resulted in one player appearing on their radar.

Frank's answer to Semenyo

In recent weeks, Spurs have been just one side touted with a potential winter move for Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo after his incredible start to the current campaign.

The Ghanaian has been Andoni Iraola’s shining light to date, as reflected in his remarkable tally of six goals and three assists in just his first 11 matches of 2025/26.

Such form has captured the attention of numerous Premier League outfits, with Arsenal, Liverpool and the Lilywhites just three clubs on red alert for his signature.

It was reported this week that the 25-year-old has a £65m release clause that becomes active from January 1st, which could see one of the aforementioned sides grab themselves a bargain.

However, with competition being fierce for his services, it’s unclear how much of a chance Frank’s men will have in completing a deal for one of the country’s hottest prospects.

Should the Lilywhites miss out on a deal, the fans shouldn’t worry, with the club already having their answer to Semenyo in the form of winger Wilson Odobert, a player described as “a mixture of [Bradley] Barcola and Aaron Lennon” by one Sky Sports analyst.

The Frenchman joined the club in a £25m deal from Burnley last summer, but has had to bide his time in North London, often resorting to minutes off the substitutes bench.

However, in recent weeks, he’s made a major impact on Frank’s side, registering an assist against Manchester United and subsequently securing a point in the 2-2 draw.

Despite his lack of action, Odobert has been labelled a “super talent” by former boss Postecoglou, with Frank needing to hand him a more consistent starting role.

When comparing his stats to those of Semenyo, the 20-year-old has managed to outperform the in-form star in numerous key areas – subsequently showcasing the talent he possesses.

Odobert has managed to achieve an average of 4.5 progressive carries and 4.3 progressive passes per 90 – with both of the aforementioned tallies higher than the Cherries star.

Games played

10

11

Goals & assists

1

9

Progressive carries

4.5

3.1

Progressive passes

4.3

3.5

Pass accuracy

84%

69%

Key passes made

1.4

0.9

Passes into final third

26

1.1

Take-ons completed

54%

42%

Carries into final third

1.9

1.8

He’s also completed more of the passes he’s attempted, with more of his efforts being key passes per 90 – subsequently offering a more creative threat in attacking areas.

The Frenchman’s dominance is further reflected in his higher take-on success rate, with Frank desperately needing to place more faith in the youngster.

£65m for Semenyo would still be an excellent deal in the current climate, but ultimately, the Lilywhites should look to avoid a move for the winger in the near future.

Such a transfer would only halt Odobert’s progress in North London, with the youngster still having bags of potential to fulfil during his period under Frank’s guidance.

Spurs have their new Parrott in academy star who's been "compared to Kane"

This Tottenham Hotspur youngster could be a future star in North London despite his struggles this season.

ByDan Emery Nov 20, 2025

Bruno Fernandes has been brutally compared to a “one-year-old”, with the Manchester United captain being told that high energy, goals and assists mask his flaws. Ex-Red Devils defender Paul Parker has been discussing the Portuguese playmaker with GOAL and believes that a talismanic presence at Old Trafford can both help and hinder the collective cause.

• Fernandes' Man Utd record: Appearances and goals

  Fernandes has been on United’s books since January 2020, when a transfer from Sporting was completed. He has gone on to make over 300 appearances for the Premier League heavyweights, scoring 102 goals. He has also teed up many more efforts for grateful team-mates.

  The enigmatic 31-year-old has taken plenty of lessons from fellow countryman Cristiano Ronaldo down the years, with nothing but the best being demanded of himself and those playing by his side. His occasionally petulant character can rub people up the wrong way at times.

  There is, however, no questioning his value to United. He is a leader on and off the field, with the Red Devils and their loyal fan base often looking to the man with the armband for inspiration. He has delivered on countless occasions in times of need.

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  Too much: Fernandes wants to be everywhere

  Fernandes does, however, stand accused of trying to do too much. Speaking in association with gambling portal British Gambler, former Red Devils star Parker told GOAL when asked about United’s engine room: “When you look in the middle, Casemiro does a great job. He is about the players around him. You put him in more consistent sides in the Premier League, he would look a different player. He would be respected and sort the tempo out.

  “At Manchester United he is playing next to someone that doesn’t stand still. He [Fernandes] is like my one-year-old, you leave them somewhere but they are not going to stay there, you put your head down and he’s gone. When he’s gone, he doesn’t leave you a note behind about where he’s going to be. That’s the thing with Bruno, he is going to score a goal or do an assist and the rest is all forgotten.”

• Captain material: Fernandes fills Man Utd armband

  Parker is not the first ex-United full-back to deliver that assessment of Fernandes. Patrice Evra, another title winner with the Red Devils, has also told GOAL: “It’s always sensitive to talk about Bruno. It depends what people call a real captain. With a captain, sometimes you can have someone like Roy Keane or a different one. Bruno is giving assists and scoring goals, this has never been the issue. The issue for me is for him to control the team and the tempo when he gets the ball.

  “You couldn't tell me where he's playing because he's everywhere. So sometimes maybe as a captain, you want to do extra, you want to do too much. And at the end, you're not even at your right position. But United wouldn't be where they are in the table if Bruno wasn't playing.”

  Evra added on Fernandes’ role as skipper: “I don't question the fact about Bruno being a captain – he deserves to be captain because [Ruben] Amorim has chosen him. Look at what's happening to [Harry] Maguire. They got rid of the armband and he now plays like a United player. You saw how people were bullying him on social media or whatever. But he said, I'm staying here.”

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  Transfer talk: Move being mooted for 2026

  While commanding centre-half Maguire has stayed put, it remains to be seen whether Fernandes will do likewise. Questions are being asked of his future heading towards 2026 – when he will have just one year remaining on his contract, as United retain a 12-month extension option.

  Leading teams across Europe, including reigning La Liga champions Barcelona, have been credited with interest. Rumours of admiring glances from the Saudi Pro League are never far away either, with it being suggested on a regular basis that Fernandes could follow five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo – who is still going strong with Al-Nassr at 40 years of age – to the Middle East.

The left hander, who doesn’t hold a state contract, hit 35 sixes in a remarkable display in Sydney on Saturday

Andrew McGlashan04-Oct-2025Former Australia Under-19 batter Harjas Singh, who was part of the side that won the World Cup in South Africa last year, produced an extraordinary display in Sydney grade cricket on Saturday with 314 off 141 balls, including 35 sixes, for Western Suburbs.The phenomenal display from the left hander, who top-scored with 55 in the World Cup final against India, came against Sydney Cricket Club at Pratten Park. The next highest score in the innings was 37.For a little while there was a discrepancy with the online scoring available – perhaps Singh’s onslaught had created a meltdown – but his final tally was confirmed as placing him third on the all-time list in New South Wales Premier first grade history, behind Victor Trumper’s 335 in 1903 and Phil Jaques’ 321 in 2007.It is also comfortably the highest limited-overs score in first grade premier cricket anywhere in Australia.The match was available to follow on YouTube via a single-camera stream (it’s worth noting the current India A vs Australia A series isn’t available to watch) and there was a roar of delight from Singh when he brought up his triple century with a six off left-arm spinner Tom Mullen.

Dead set carnage from Harjas Singh for Wests today. https://t.co/i6CjWS03K1 pic.twitter.com/vyTnwzWRma

— Tom Decent (@tomdecent) October 4, 2025