Ahead of the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have announced the appointment of Mo Bobat as the new Director of Cricket following the departure of Mike Hesson earlier this year.
Bobat, who has worked with the England Cricket Board (ECB) first as Player Identification Lead from 2011-2019 and then as Performance Director from 2019 up until now has been at the epicentre of the Three Lions’ quest to usher in a cricket revolution.
During this period of Bobat’s involvement, England have gone on to win the 2019 50-over World Cup and the 2022 T20 World Cup, apart from also famously registering a 3-0 Test series whitewash against Pakistan in their home conditions.
Bobat, 40, has already worked with RCB during the last couple of seasons as Performance Consultant. In his new role as Director of Cricket, he will oversee all player recruitment and performance activity, in addition to working towards establishing the cultural and high-performance foundations for sustained success.
Speaking on the new position, Bobat said, “I’m both excited and proud to be joining RCB as Director of Cricket. RCB is one of the most recognisable franchises in the world, with a renowned fan base. To serve them will be a huge honour. It’s important to acknowledge the work of both Mike Hesson and Sanjay Bangar, for the stability and consistency they provided over recent years.”
“I’m really looking forward to working closely with Andy Flower, somebody I know well, to take on the baton and deliver the success that RCB craves. When the time comes, I’ll leave the ECB with the heaviest of hearts. I’ll be forever grateful for all of the opportunities and support that I received over the years and will carry with me many special memories, shared achievements and friendships. Andy and I are relishing the challenges ahead, and we’re looking forward to helping Faf and the players to fulfil their potential,” Bobat added.
Talking about the appointment, Prathmesh Mishra, Chief Commercial Officer, Diageo India and Chairman of RCB, said, “We are delighted to welcome Mo Bobat as the Director of Cricket for RCB in the IPL. RCB has always focussed on a performance-oriented approach and creating a culture that reflects its ‘playbold’ philosophy. Bobat has already proved what he can do in a similar role with England, and I believe, with the expertise and years of experience, he will guide RCB to newer horizons and excellence.”
Rajesh V Menon, Vice President & Head of Royal Challengers Bangalore commented, “The Position of Director of Cricket is an important position in the development of our long term strategy of elite performance. We believe Mo has the knowledge & expertise to take us forward in this area.”
Notably, Bobat and Flower – who was announced as RCB men’s team’s new head coach – have worked closely in the past. During Flower’s role at ECB as head coach and later team director, Bobat did serve as the Player Identification Lead, and the duo will link up yet again at RCB.
