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Tag: RCB

  • Hopefully we can maintain strong, bio-secure environment: RCB skipper Virat Kohli 

    By PTI

    DUBAI: India captain Virat Kohli said it is unfortunate to “end up here early” for the IPL after a COVID-19 outbreak led to the cancellation of the fifth Test against England and hoped for a “secure” bio-bubble in the league to tackle the “uncertain” times.

    Kohli, who will again lead Royal Challengers Bangalore in the tournament, along with other Indian players refused to take the field in the fifth Test against England at Old Trafford, after junior physio Yogesh Parmar became the fourth close-contact support staff to test positive for COVID-19.

    “Unfortunate that we had to end up here early, but with COVID in place, things are very uncertain,” Kohli told the RCB’s digital media platforms.

    “Anything can happen at any time. Hopefully, we’re able to maintain a good, strong, and secure environment, and have a quality IPL.

    “It’s going to be an exciting phase and a very important one for us at RCB and then for the Indian team at the T20 World Cup,” the Indian captain said.

    The IPL begins on Sunday and RCB will play their first match on Monday.

    The RCB will have some exciting new additions to their squad including leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga and Singapore batter Tim David. The skipper is looking forward to meet the new recruits.

    “I’ve been in touch with everyone. We’ve had discussions over the last month or so, a little longer than that with the replacements, who’s coming and who’s not. Eventually, we ended up replacing our key players with some top-quality cricketers,” the RCB skipper said.

    He believes that replacement players will fit into the system perfectly.

    “Our key players will be missed, and they are a part of the family, but the people coming in as well have great skill sets, especially for these conditions.

    “So, I’m very excited to see them, with the whole group at practice and certainly very excited to resume a very good season that started last time around,” he said.

  • Replacement players have great skillsets, excited to see them with whole group: RCB skipper Virat Kohli

    By ANI

    DUBAI: India and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli feels the upcoming months are going to be important for the IPL side and Team India considering the T20 World Cup.

    Kohli and pacer Mohammed Siraj arrived in Dubai on Sunday after the Manchester Test against England was cancelled.

    The duo is undergoing six-day mandatory quarantine and then they both will join the team bubble in Dubai ahead of the resumption of the IPL 202.

    “Unfortunate how we ended up being here early but with COVID in place, things are very uncertain, so anything can happen at any time,” said Kohli in a video posted on RCB Twitter.

    “Hopefully, we are able to maintain a good strong, secure environment here and have a quality IPL and onto the World Cup. So now, heading into the T20 phase, I think it is going to be an exciting phase and a very important one for us at RCB and for the Indian team at the World Cup as well,” he added.

    RCB brought in Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga as a replacement for Australia’s Adam Zampa. Other replacements for RCB are Dushmantha Chameera for Daniel Sams, left-arm quick George Garton for Kane Richardson, and Tim David for New Zealand’s Finn Allen.

    Further speaking about the new addition in the squad, Kohli said, “The replacement players have great skillsets, especially in these conditions. Excited to see them with the whole group and to resume a very good season that we started last time around.”

    On the other hand, Siraj said, “I’m joining RCB family after so many days, really excited for the IPL. We are in a good position on the points table so it will be a lot of fun.”

    The 14th season, which was postponed in May this year in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, will resume on September 19 in Dubai with a blockbuster clash between Chennai Super Kings and defending champions Mumbai Indians.

    The action will then shift to Abu Dhabi where Kolkata Knight Riders will square off against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Sharjah will host its first game on September 24 when Royal Challengers Bangalore take on Chennai Super Kings. In all, 13 matches will be held in Dubai, 10 in Sharjah, and 8 in Abu Dhabi.

    The board has come up with a 46-page health advisory that lays down all the pointers that everyone associated with the IPL needs to follow in order to ensure the smooth functioning of the league.

  • RCB skipper Virat Kohli, pacer Mohammed Siraj arrive in Dubai, to undergo six-day quarantine

    By ANI

    DUBAI: Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli and pacer Mohammed Siraj arrived in Dubai on Sunday ahead of the resumption of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 season.

    The duo will now undergo six-day mandatory quarantine and then they both will join the team bubble in Dubai.

    “The news you’ve all been waiting for: King Kohli and Miyan Magic have joined the team in Dubai,” the official handle of RCB tweeted on Sunday.

    Earlier, ANI had reported that RCB would be arranging a charter flight to get Virat Kohli and Mohammed Siraj into Dubai on Sunday morning, ahead of the resumption of the IPL 2021.

    “Yes, we have arranged a charter flight for Virat and Siraj, both of them will be flying out at 11:30 PM UK time on Saturday and they will reach Dubai early Sunday morning. The safe transit of players is the utmost priority for RCB. They will undergo 6-day quarantine there before joining the team bubble,” the source had said.

    The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has informed all franchises that every player coming in from the UK will have to undergo six days of hard quarantine before they can join the existing team bubbles in UAE for the resumption of the 2021 edition of the IPL.

    “The BCCI has informed us on Friday that every player coming in from UK to UAE will have to undergo six days of quarantine before they can join the team bubbles. Obviously the bubble to bubble transfer from UK to UAE no longer stands keeping in mind the current scenario,” the official said.

    With the final Test between India and England in Manchester cancelled, IPL franchises on Friday got in touch with charter companies to fly out their players from Manchester to UAE for the resumption of the cash-rich league.

    The 14th season, which was postponed in May this year in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, will resume on September 19 in Dubai with a blockbuster clash between Chennai Super Kings and defending champions Mumbai Indians.

    The action will then shift to Abu Dhabi where Kolkata Knight Riders will square off against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Sharjah will host its first game on September 24 when Royal Challengers Bangalore take on Chennai Super Kings. In all, 13 matches will be held in Dubai, 10 in Sharjah, and 8 in Abu Dhabi.

    The board has come up with a 46-page health advisory that lays down all the pointers that everyone associated with the IPL needs to follow in order to ensure the smooth functioning of the league.

  • Doesn’t feel like we have had long break, it’s about carrying momentum: RCB batsman Devdutt Padikkal

    By ANI

    DUBAI: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) opening batsman Devdutt Padikkal has said that it does not feel like that there has been a break and it will be just about carrying the momentum once the Indian Premier League (IPL) season resumes in the UAE.

    The IPL 2021 season will resume in the UAE on September 19 with Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) locking horns against each other.

    “It is almost like we are continuing the tournament again, it does not feel like that we have had a long break because we have had enough cricket. It does not feel like a huge break and it is just about continuing with the momentum we had in the first phase of the season,” said Padikkal in a video posted on the official Twitter account of RCB.

    “In India, cricket is a huge festival and it is a religion. There is a lot of attention you get outside the sport as well so it is important you try to focus on the game. It is very easy to drift away and get distracted, so what I have tried to do is to focus on the game and try not to look at the media because it is easy to get distracted by those things,” he added.

    When asked about whether this is the year for RCB to win the IPL, Padikkal said: “I would hope so. Everyone comes with the hope of winning the IPL, hopefully this is our year. We have a good squad and we have gotten good replacements as well so we look ready for the challenge.”

    In a big development, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) is arranging a charter flight to get Virat Kohli and Mohammed Siraj into Dubai on Sunday morning, ahead of the resumption of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. They will undergo a 6-day quarantine period before joining the team bubble.

    Speaking to ANI, sources within the RCB franchise confirmed that Virat and Siraj will be flying out from Manchester in a charter flight on Saturday night and reach Dubai early on Sunday morning.

    “Yes, we have arranged a charter flight for Virat and Siraj, both of them will be flying out at 11:30 PM UK time on Saturday and they will reach Dubai early Sunday morning. Safe transit of players is the utmost priority for RCB. They will undergo 6-day quarantine there before joining the team bubble,” the source said.

    The 14th season of the IPL, which was postponed in May this year in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, will resume on September 19 in Dubai with a blockbuster clash between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians.

    The action will then shift to Abu Dhabi where Kolkata Knight Riders will square off against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Sharjah will host its first game on September 24 when Royal Challengers Bangalore take on Chennai Super Kings.

    In all, 13 matches will be held in Dubai, 10 in Sharjah, and 8 in Abu Dhabi. The BCCI has decided to do away with contact tracing devices for the UAE leg, starting on September 19.

    The Indian board decided that Bubble Integrity Officers will do the necessary contact tracing if any player tests positive for COVID-19 in UAE. The board has come up with a 46-page health advisory that lays down all the pointers that everyone associated with the IPL needs to follow in order to ensure the smooth functioning of the league.

  • RCB arranges charter to fly Virat Kohli and Mohammed Siraj from Manchester to Dubai on Sunday

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: In a big development, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) is arranging a charter flight to get Virat Kohli and Mohammed Siraj into Dubai on Sunday morning, ahead of the resumption of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. They will undergo a 6-day quarantine period before joining the team bubble.

    Speaking to ANI, sources within the RCB franchise confirmed that Virat and Siraj will be flying out from Manchester in a charter flight on Saturday night and reach Dubai early on Sunday morning.

    “Yes, we have arranged a charter flight for Virat and Siraj, both of them will be flying out at 11:30 PM UK time on Saturday and they will reach Dubai early Sunday morning. Safe transit of players is the utmost priority for RCB. They will undergo 6-day quarantine there before joining the team bubble,” the source said.

    Earlier on Friday, the 5th Test match between England and India was cancelled in Manchester. The BCCI and ECB held several rounds of discussion to find a way to play the Test match, however, the outbreak of COVID-19 in the Indian team contingent forced the decision of calling off the game.

    The 14th season of the IPL, which was postponed in May this year in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, will resume on September 19 in Dubai with a blockbuster clash between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians.

    The action will then shift to Abu Dhabi where Kolkata Knight Riders will square off against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Sharjah will host its first game on September 24 when Royal Challengers Bangalore take on Chennai Super Kings.

    In all, 13 matches will be held in Dubai, 10 in Sharjah, and 8 in Abu Dhabi. The BCCI has decided to do away with contact tracing devices for the UAE leg, starting on September 19.

    The Indian board decided that Bubble Integrity Officers will do the necessary contact tracing if any player tests positive for COVID-19 in UAE. The board has come up with a 46-page health advisory that lays down all the pointers that everyone associated with the IPL needs to follow in order to ensure the smooth functioning of the league.

  • RCB signs George Garton as replacement for Kane Richardson

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Wednesday roped in English fast bowler George Garton as a replacement for Australian pacer Kane Richardson for the remainder of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 season in the UAE.

    The uncapped left-arm quick has featured in 38 T20 matches and has taken 44 wickets with a bowling average of 20.06.

    As a batsman, Garton has a batting average of 20.77 in T20s, with a strike rate of 124.66.

    This will be Garton’s debut season in IPL, the RCB said in a release.

    With this, the RCB team has made its fourth replacement.

    RCB will take on Kolkata Knight Riders on September 20 in Abu Dhabi.

  • Tim David set to become first Singapore international cricketer to play in IPL

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The second phase of the 14th edition of IPL will feature a Singapore cricketer for the first time as Royal Challengers Bangalore have roped in freelance T20 sensation Tim David, who has made a name for himself across leagues in the world.

    While he is of Australian descent, the 6 feet 5 inch tall David currently plays international cricket for Singapore and he brings with him a novelty factor in Virat Kohli’s team.

    Since ICC has accorded T20 International status to all its 106 member nations, David has played 14 T20 Internationals with 558 runs in his kitty at a strike rate of 158 plus.

    Overall, he has played 49 T20 games, factoring in his appearances in the BBL and PSL with a tally of 1171 runs at a strike rate of 155 plus.

    In BBL, he has played for Hobart Hurricanes and Perth Scorchers while he had recently scored two List A hundreds in the Royal London Cup for Surrey, including a career-best 140 against Warwickshire.

    In fact, the 25-year-old David’s father Rod David is also an ex-Singapore international and represented the country in the 1997 ICC World Cup qualifier, a tournament that was won by Bangladesh.

    While David by birth became a Singapore passport holder, the family migrated back to Australia and he grew up in Perth.

    His father apart from being an ex Singapore international is also an engineer.

    It is expected that AB de Villiers and Kyle Jamieson will be certainties in RCB’s playing XI while Dan Christian also has a good chance of making it.

    However Kohli will not be able to ignore that David has already hit 77 sixes in senor level competitive 64-white ball games including T20 and List A.

    David however is not the first cricketer from an associate nation to play in the IPL as Netherlands’ Ryan ten Doeschate and Dirk Nannes (who also played for Australia) have played for IPL franchise.

    The remainder of the IPL-14 will begin on September 19 in the UAE.

  • Wanindu Hasaranga has been on our radar for a long time: RCB head coach Mike Hesson

    By ANI

    BENGALURU: Ahead of the resumption of Season 14 of the IPL, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) head coach Mike Hesson on Saturday stated that Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga who replaced Adam Zampa was on the team’s radar for a long time.

    Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) head coach Simon Katich has stepped down as head coach of the IPL side due to personal reasons and as part of the team’s business continuity plan, Mike Hesson will step in and discharge the duties of head coach for this season, in addition to his existing role of Director of Cricket Operations.

    “As a team RCB started the first half of the season well. We gained plenty of momentum and will certainly continue that progress in the season and a half. We are in a decent position but we also know that we have plenty of work to do,” Mike Hesson said in a virtual press briefing.

    Sri Lankan all-rounder Wanidu Hasaranga will now be part of RCB for the second leg of IPL 2021 in UAE. He replaced Adam Zampa. Hasaranga was the Player of the Series in the recently concluded Sri Lanka-India T20I series taking 7 wickets in 3 matches at an economy rate of 5.58.

    Talking about Hasaranga, Hesson said: “We have an extensive scouting program, Wanidu has been on our radar for a long time. We aren’t surprised by his success in recent times, he has been doing it for a while. We like his skill set. We like the fact that he is a multi-skill cricketer, so he offers us the ability to bat a little bit deeper as well. That gives us a lot of exciting options.”

    Rajesh Menon, Vice President and Head, Royal Challengers Bangalore talking about bubble protocol for RCB pointed: “In terms of bubble protocol we have a very tight protocol which is in place. This seven-day quarantine itself is what we have placed. The entire hotel staff, drivers are tested, everybody is part of the bubble. So it’s a complete secure bubble that we are getting into.”

    As IPL again goes to the UAE, Hesson shed some light on the team’s advantage. He said, “There are players on both sides who have played in that condition a year ago. We have got some good memories of the last time we were there. We made the playoffs, we played nicely.”

    Another Sri Lankan, Dushmantha Chameera also confirmed his place in the Banglore side. The fast bowler replaces Daniel Sams. Tim David who is no stranger to the T20 format replaced Finn Allen at RCB for the remainder of the season. After tasting success in T20 leagues around the world, the hard-hitting batsman and handy bowler will now test his skills in IPL.

    The Indian players, support staff and the team management will be assembling in Bengaluru on Saturday following which the team will undergo 7 days of quarantine and will undergo Covid tests for 3 days during the period. The team will then depart via a chartered flight from Bangalore on August 29. The other international players and staff will assemble in the UAE starting August 29 onwards. There will be another 6 days of quarantine in the UAE.

    Royal Challengers Bangalore resume Season 14 of the IPL on September 20 as they square off against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

  • Mike Hesson named RCB head coach as Simon Katich steps down

    By IANS

    BENGALURU: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) announced on Saturday that head coach Simon Katich has stepped down due to personal reasons. In place of him, director of cricket operations Mike Hesson will take over as head coach till the end of the season.

    “Simon Katich has decided to step down from his post as head coach and mainly due to personal reasons. We support his decision. Mike Hesson will step in and discharge the duties as head coach until the end of this tournament. Hesson has been coaching NZ team and other teams. Mike will step in until the end of the tournament,” said Rajesh Menon, vice-president and head, Royal Challengers Bangalore in the press conference.

    The franchise also said that they have signed Sri Lankan duo of Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera apart from Singapore’s Tim David as replacement players.

    Leg-spinner Hasaranga is a replacement for Australia’s Adam Zampa, who had pulled out of the tournament due to personal reasons. He was impressive in the three-match T20I series against India, taking seven wickets at an economy rate of 5.58.

    Chameera replaces Zampa’s country-mate Daniel Sams, who has pulled out along with Kane Richardson. He was the second-highest wicket-taker after Hasaranga, taking four wickets at an economy rate of 5.25.

    Tim David comes in place of New Zealand’s Finn Allen, who along with fellow Kiwi Scott Kuggeleijn will be unavailable as they will be on national duty in Bangladesh and Pakistan.

    David has represented Singapore in 14 T20Is, scoring 558 runs at an average of 46.5. He amassed 279 runs at a strike-rate of 153.29 for the Hobart Hurricanes in the 2020/21 Big Bash League. He is currently in England and scored two centuries and a half-century in his last four matches in Surrey’s run to the semi-final in the Royal London One-day Cup.

    “Finn Allen and Scott Kuggeleijn have both been selected for NZ tours and they won’t be part of RCB. Kane Richardson has made himself unavailable as has Daniel Sams. So, therefore, the balance of our squad has changed dramatically,” said Hesson.

    He added, “We have made a lot of purchases which opened up four-five days ago. We’ve replaced Adam Zampa with Wanindu Hasaranga. Sri Lanka’s Dushmantha Chameera has got plenty of pace. Finn Allen leaving, we have decided to strengthen our middle-order. Tim David has joined our squad. A power-play player can become straight swap for Maxwell and de Villiers.”

  • IPL 2021: RCB pleased to have ‘multi-skilled’ Hasaranga as Chahal’s spin partner

    Express News Service

    BENGALURU: Royal Challengers Bangalore have been forced into making some big changes before the resumption of the IPL 2021 in UAE from September 19 in the UAE. Simon Katich has stepped down as the head coach due to personal reasons and Mike Hesson, director of cricket, will assume the role till the end of the season.

    Also, New Zealand’s Finn Allen and Scott Kuggeleijn have been selected for the national team, making them miss the league. Australia’s Daniel Sams, Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa have made themselves unavailable. Australia’s Tim David, Sri Lanka’s Dushmantha Chameera and Wanindu Hasaranga are the new faces in the squad so far.

    The inclusion of Hasaranga, who replaces Adam Zampa, seems to be a good choice considering that the leg-spinner scalped nine wickets in the last T20I series against India. With the conditions in the UAE expected to assist the spinners, the Lankan alongside Yuzvendra Chahal could be a big plus. More importantly, he can also contribute with the bat, believes Hesson.

    “Wanindu has certainly been on our radar for a long time. We are not surprised by his success in recent times, he has been doing it for a while now. We like his skill set. He is a multi-skilled cricketer so he offers us to play a little bit deeper as well, if we choose him as the overseas spinner alongside Chahal. The fact that performed well against India in recent times is great too,” said Hesson.

    The Indian players, minus the Test players in England, have already started assembling in Bengaluru. During the seven days of quarantine in the city, they will be tested for COVID-19 three times. They will depart on August 29 in a chartered plane and will be in hard quarantine for another six days in UAE. Meanwhile the foreign players will gradually reach from August 29 onwards.

    With new overseas players in the squad, it remains to be seen as to how much time these players take to gel with the rest of their teammates. It is imperative for them to find their rhythm as soon as possible as they will be eager to continue that winning momentum which they had gathered before the IPL was cancelled midway due to the COVID-19 situation. They are currently third in the table with five wins from seven games.

    “We have got a number of players that have been in good form since the IPL. Some have had well deserved rest. But, the time in Dubai will be critical for those who have not played a huge amount of cricket to get them up to speed and for those who have, it is just a matter of quick integration back into their role in the side. It will not be difficult as they are professionals and we are a very determined side,” said Hesson.