Royal Challengers Bangalore's strike bowler Harshal Patel has said that "sequencing" his deliveries is something he has been trying all season, adding that he is happy that he was finally able to take a clutch of wickets against Chennai Super Kings at the MCA Stadium on May 4. Patel had excellent figures of 3/35 in his four overs as he along with Australian all-round Glenn Maxwell (2/22) put RCB's campaign back on track in IPL 2022, defeating the defending champions by 13 runs and eliminating the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side from the tournament. Patel was the Purple Cap winner last season, but this year he is 11th on the table with 13 wickets as he hopes to climb up the table as the tournament enters the crucial phase. Patel said that packaging pace is the key to the success of a fast bowler. "Sequencing, like I said, when people are waiting for the slower balls, how do I make sure I don't give them slower balls.
So that's when my hard lengths, bouncers and yorkers come in. I have not been able to use a lot this season, especially the yorkers, but it's something I want to bring back in the second half of the IPL," said Patel. The 31-year-old Harshal also said that he had been trying to correct some shortcoming and the success against CSK was because of that. "For the last four or five games, I've been trying to concede two less boundaries in my spell and be a little tighter with my execution and sequencing. So that's what I've been trying and (I am) very happy I was able to come back the way I did (against CSK)." Patel was in sublime form against CSK, claiming three crucial wickets and most importantly delivering miserly 18th and 20th overs, sealing the tie for RCB. On a surface where spinners made merry, it needed a special effort from RCB bowlers. And Patel provided that special performance.
Taking about his strategy, Patel said, "I think in the first over, I was trying to bowl slower balls into the pitch but I floated a couple just under the bat and those are the ones that went to the boundary." He then opened up about changing ends that helped him throttle Chennai's run flow. "To both the left-handers (Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja), we decided I would bowl wider of off stump and that allowed me to use the bigger side. So that was the rationale to changing ends. You need to be aware of what the conditions are and what the batters are trying to do and what areas they are trying to score in, and most importantly what are the deliveries you can execute and you feel confident about in that situation. "So you take all these calculations in your mind and at the top of your mark, you need to be absolutely clear with your option and your field placing. As long as you have clarity at the top of your mark, you should be fine," he added.