The Royal Challengers Bangalore have had a topsy-turvy start to Pepsi IPL 2015 with a win and a loss. The worrying factor is that the loss came in their first home game (against Sunrisers Hyderabad) and it was their formidable batting that let them down. The team has stayed put in Bengaluru after that game and had a five-day break to set things straight before their next game, against Mumbai Indians. All-rounder Darren Sammy, on the eve of the match, said that the break has given RCB a chance to retrospect and time to fix the problem areas. “It gave us a chance to work on our game more specifically and also watch the other teams on TV and see how they play,” Sammy said. “Everybody is eager to step on to the park tomorrow.” The criticism against RCB over the years has been that they tend to over-depend on the big-three – Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers – to get them home with the bat. Sammy said that while the trio is expected to do the bulk of the team’s scoring, it doesn’t diminish the importance of other players in the team. “With the likes of Gayle, Virat and AB, the chances are that the top four will score a lot of runs for us,” Sammy said. “But in our first match (against KKR) Abu Nechim came and hit the winning four and that became the most important shot of the game. So, every player is important and each of us has our roles.” Sammy, however, said it is important for every player in a star-studded team like RCB to not let their guard down thinking the big guns will fire and see the team home. He said that was the major difference between playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad – his team in the previous two editions of the IPL – and RCB. “The main difference between playing for Sunrisers and RCB is that this is a massive franchise and a very strong team, so people expect them to win matches. The two years I played for Sunrisers, we were always back-to-the-wall team and second favourites to win,” he said. “RCB has so many stars. If you are not focused you could tend to think, ‘these guys will get the job done’. So, for me, it is very crucial to remain focused and assuring myself that I have a very important part to play in the team.” One of the roles assigned to Sammy as a senior and experienced player is to boost the morale of a bowler in the field after he has been hit for a couple of big ones. Sammy said it is important for a bowler to not let one bad ball affect the next ball. “It is important to stay calm and think of the next ball,” he said. “You cannot change what has already happened. After you’ve been hit for boundaries off the first two balls of the over, how you approach the remaining four balls will determine whether it will be a good over or bad. “If after conceding two boundaries you give three singles, it makes a massive difference. In T20 every ball is a contest. Within an innings you have 120 mini-contests on your hand. How many of these contests you win determines the result of the entire game. “We just have to go to the bowler and make sure he has a plan for the next ball and keep him calm. It is very important to have a clear head and that’s what we try to help the bowlers do.” RCB’s bowling strength in the first two matches has been hampered by the absence of Mitchell Starc, who is nursing an injury after finishing the highest wicket-taker in the World Cup. Sammy said they were expecting the Australian fast bowler to join the team soon, which will boost RCB’s bowling stocks significantly. “We are expecting him tomorrow or sometime very soon. With the form he is in, for us to have him here and lead the bowling attack will be massive. If he is available for us tomorrow, it will be a good addition to the squad,” Sammy conceded. The West Indian all-rounder hasn’t quite set the stage on fire in the first two matches. But he hopes to change that in the next two home games and give something to cheer about to the adoring fans. “I have understood my role properly. In the first two games I did not hit it off but I am a confident player and I back my ability,” he said. “Over the years I have watched RCB play and I have seen that the more fearlessly they play, the better they perform. That is something the captain has been preaching – to play fearless and bold cricket and we are going to do that tomorrow.”