Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], March 21 (ANI): Ahead of his side's Indian Premier League (IPL) opener against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) head coach Andy Flower opened up on the team's spin bowling attack, calling Krunal Pandya a 'streetwise operator' and adding that it does not expect a young Suyash Sharma to be 'Shane Warne' as he starts his career.

The 'OG Derby' which kickstarted the IPL back in its inaugural season in 2008 will once again kickstart the 18th season at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Saturday. The spin bowling attacks of both teams will be in focus. While on one side is KKR's in-form duo of Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine, backed by an experienced Moeen Ali and a young Anukul Roy, the RCB attack relies on the experience of Krunal, who has delivered fine performances in domestic cricket. Backing him will be all-rounders Swapnil Singh, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell and a young spinner Suyash, who had his first taste of IPL with KKR back in 2023.

Speaking ahead of the match in the pre-match presser as quoted by an RCB press release, Andy said, 'Krunal was a significant part of our targeted players in the auction, and it's great to have him on board. He is a smart and courageous cricketer and again he's got leadership experience as well. He's a streetwise operator and he is got class as a left-arm spinner, let alone as an all-rounder. That is comforting to have him in our group and leading the way in the spin department.'

Flower further highlighted the variety within the spin attack 'Then we have got, on the wrist-spin front, Suyash, who is a very exciting young prospect with limited experience but a really high ceiling. We're hoping for great things from him, but we are also not expecting him to be Shane Warne from the beginning. We have got to be patient and let him learn from his experiences, and it is good that he has got these experienced cricketers around him and a captain that he will be comfortable working with. To back them up, Swapnil Singh was good for us last year, and Liam Livingstone does a bit of everything.'

Flower also backed captain Rajat Patidar, the newly-appointed skipper with captaincy experience for Madhya Pradesh, saying that he is excited about the challenge.

'We were conscious of building an experienced side in our recruitment, and in saying that, they will be able to give a lot of support to Rajat. I think he is really excited about this challenge, and we are right behind him,' he said in RCB press release.

Speaking on playing KKR, who dominated the last season with a high-scoring and attacking brand of cricket, Flower said that this is a new season and squads are new as well after a mega auction last year.

'We have had a great preparation period. We like the look of our squad. We are pretty much ready,' he added.

Speaking on facing challenges from Varun and Narine, Flower said that such challenges are a reason why players play at such a high level, to test themselves against the world's best.

'That is one of the most exciting and rewarding parts of playing international cricket or IPL cricket, which the standard is very much like international cricket and all the excitement and energy that comes with playing top-class cricket in India comes with that as well', he remarked.

On starting the season with two away games against KKR and five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) before a return to Bengaluru on April 2 against Gujarat Titans, Flower said that it is a great challenge for the team to try having fine away games right from the start.

Flower also weighed in on the broader trend of higher scores in the IPL, attributing it to the evolving physicality and approach of modern batters. 'A lot of the batters are becoming bigger and stronger and are starting to recognise the importance of it. But there is still a place in the game for players like Virat Kohli as well. Obviously, he is a super fit, strong young man as well. There is still space for high-quality, highly intelligent cricketers like that as well.'

Expanding on this shift, he added, 'But there is a shift towards power. There is no doubt about that and we saw that in the scores. But you see just that in the selection of our batting unit, you will see the emphasis on power with just a couple of exceptions. And I think that is the way the game is going.' he signed off. (ANI)