Mumbai, Nov 18 (IANS): Omkar Salvi, the newly-appointed bowling coach of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, has said that his immediate task will be refining the skills of the bowlers so that they can deliver match-winning performances in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 and beyond.

RCB on Monday announced Salvi's appointment as their new bowling coach, just six days before the mega auction for IPL 2025.

In his first reaction to being appointed as the new bowling coach of RCB, Salvi said he would like to see the Chinnaswamy Stadium become a fortress for them.

"It’s an honour to join RCB. My goal is to help our bowlers refine their skills and deliver match-winning performances, with the Chinnaswamy Stadium becoming a fortress for us," said Salvi on Monday.

The coach also said that he was excited to reunite with Dinesh Karthik and said they will work to build a united team.

"I’m also excited to reunite with Dinesh Karthik, whose expertise inspires excellence. Together, we’ll work to build a united team that elevates RCB and makes our loyal fans proud," said Salvi.

Salvi currently coaches Mumbai in domestic cricket and was previously with Kolkata Knight Riders set up as an assistant bowling coach during their IPL 2024 triumph. He is the second Indian coach RCB have brought into their backroom staff this year after Dinesh Karthik, their former player, was roped in as batting coach-cum-mentor for the 2025 season.

RCB added that Salvi will join the team once his coaching commitments with Mumbai end in domestic cricket in March 2025.

Salvi’s first task as RCB bowling coach will be giving inputs to the side in planning their auction strategy from a bowling perspective, especially with the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium having a batting-friendly reputation. RCB had retained Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar and Yash Dayal ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction to be held on November 24 and 25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.