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Tag: Royal Challengers Bangalore

  • 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.

  • IPL table: Royal Challengers Bangalore solidify top spot, Rajasthan Royals rooted to bottom

    By IANS
    MUMBAI: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) continued to remain on top of the IPL table after recording their fourth consecutive win of the season.

    The perfect start has helped them reach eight points and their dominant win over Rajasthan Royals (RR) has also given a boost to their net run rate (NRR), which has gone from +0.750 before the match to +1.009.

    Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are placed second on the table, having won three and lost one of the four matches they have played thus far. They are tied on six points with third-placed Delhi Capitals (DC) but their NRR remains the best in the league thus far. CSK have an NRR of +1.142 while DC’s NRR is +0.426.

    Defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) are two points behind DC in fourth place and have an NRR of +0.187.

    The teams below MI are all tied on two points and separated only by their NRRs. All the teams have won one and lost three of the matches they have played thus far. Rajasthan Royals, after their 10-wicket defeat to RCB on Thursday, are rock bottom with an NRR of -1.011. Punjab Kings, with an NRR of -0.824, are above them in seventh place while Kolkata Knight Riders are sixth with an NRR of -0.700. SunRisers Hyderabad are fifth with an NRR of -0.228.

  • IPL 2021: Margin of error on Wankhede wicket is very less, says RCB pacer Harshal Patel

    By ANI
    MUMBAI: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) pacer Harshal Patel feels the margin of error on Wankhede wicket is very less and the bowlers might get hammered for runs if they miss the length even by an inch.

    Devdutt Padikkal’s unbeaten 101 and skipper Virat Kohli’s 72 not out helped RCB registered a thumping 10-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match here at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday evening.

    Rajasthan Royals had scored 177 as Harshal Patel and Mohammed Siraj picked three wickets each. While Siraj gave early strikes to RCB, Harshal wreaked havoc in the second half of the innings.

    “The margin of error on this wicket is so little that even if you miss by an inch the ball is gonna fly away. I personally bowled a few bad balls in this innings but this is something we can learn from this game and take it into the next game,” Harshal told RCB batsman Devdutt Padikkal in a video posted on the official website of IPL.

    “177 we knew it was never going to be enough on this track and the way you guys started the chase and the way you finished it was impeccable,” he added.

    Harshal is leading the wicket-taking charts with 12 wickets under his belt in the ongoing IPL. The right-handed bowler said his focus has always been picking wickets at the death to deny the batting team any chance of changing the gears.

    “Feels great to have the Purple Cap. Even though I went for few runs today, picking up wickets makes you feel a lot better about it and my focus has always been picking up wickets at the death because it is always difficult for new batters to start hitting right from ball one. That’s all I am trying to do, most of my plans were execute today barring a few deliveries here and there,” Harshal said.

    Meanwhile, Padikkal, who smashed his maiden ton IPL on Thursday, termed his hundred as “special knock”.

    “It was something special, we (Padikkal and Virat) were just enjoying ourselves. Once we got in the rhythm, we were just complimenting each other. Every ball it felt like we could hit a boundary,” said Padikkal.

    “Mumbai wicket has a much better bounce and pace. I’m sure bowling here you must have realised the difference,” he added.

    RCB will next lock horns with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Sunday.

  • Will carry forward confidence gained playing Test cricket in IPL: RCB spinner Washington Sundar

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: India and Royal Challengers Bangalore off-spinner Washington Sundar on Wednesday said he will carry forward the confidence and self-belief he gained while playing Test cricket into the ongoing Indian Premier League.

    Washington made his Test debut earlier this year against Australia in Brisbane.

    He scored a fluent 62 and snared three wickets in the first innings.

    In the second essay, he played a game-changing 22 on the final day to help India seal a memorable victory.

    “I think performing well in the Test cricket definitely boosts a lot of confidence for any cricketer,” Washington said at the virtual product launch of the “Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro.”

    “And getting to play Test cricket at the highest level for the Indian cricket team, which has been really doing well, especially in the last few years is a dream come true moment for any youngster and that has happened to me,” he added.

    The 21-year-old was also a part of the Indian Test side that defeated England 3-1 last month.

    “We played against two top quality sides — Australia and England. Performing against them and winning games against them gave me a lot of confidence and self belief.

    “So, yes that confidence I will definitely take it forward and also the momentum I would really love to take forward throughout the IPL and the games to come,” he added.

    Talking about the IPL, which is being held behind closed doors for a second successive edition, Washington said: “It has been two years now.

    The last IPL was also played behind closed doors.

    “I think we are very much used to it, though we would love to have a lot of crowd supporting us and I know the kind of energy crowds bring in for every game is amazing.

    “But given the scenario, we are happy that we could play cricket,” he signed off.

  • IPL 2021: RCB hope to keep momentum going against stumbling Rajasthan Royals

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Off to the best possible start with three wins on the trot, a confident Royal Challengers Bangalore will hope to keep the juggernaut rolling when they take on Rajasthan Royals in an IPL match here on Thursday.

    Both sides have endured contrasting campaigns so far.

    RCB head in to the game after three morale-boosting victories.

    The Virat Kohli-led side edged past defending champions Mumbai Indians in the tournament opener before getting the better of Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders to jump to the top of the points table.

    On the other hand, the Royals have managed to win only one of their three fixtures.

    They lost to Chennai Super Kings in their previous match to slip down to the sixth spot.

    Sanju Samson and his men will be eyeing a second win.

    The Royals have struggled to perform as a cohesive batting unit.

    While Samson led the team to within touching distance of victory with his sensational century against Punjab Kings, it was the South African duo of David Miller and Chris Morris that pulled off a win against the Delhi Capitals.

    Against CSK, opener Jos Buttler looked dangerous but the other batsmen failed to provide any valuable contributions.

    For the former champions to do well, the side must click as a batting unit with Samson and the Englishman playing key roles.

    The Royals bowling unit has been underwhelming to say the least, apart from the game against Delhi Capitals, the bowlers have leaked runs.

    Pacer Jaydev Unadkat shone against the Rishabh Pant led-side, registering the impressive figures of 3/15, while young Chetan Sakariya has shown promise.

    In the absence of Jofra Archer, more will be expected out of the likes of Chris Morris and Bangladesh speedster Mustafizur Rahman.

    For RCB, Ab de Villiers and new-recruit Glenn Maxwell have been the standout players with the willow.

    While the South African continues to deliver season after season, the Australian all-rounder is proving to be a valuable addition to the middle order.

    Kohli has got decent starts in a couple of games but the talismanic skipper will be itching to play a big innings.

    Young Devdutt Padikkal, who impressed everyone last season, has also looked rusty and is yet to perform to his full potential.

    After two failures Rajat Patidar will, too, look to make amends.

    The RCB bowling department has been impressive with pacers Harshal Patel and Mohammed Siraj boasting economy rate of of 5.75 and 5.81 respectively.

    The former pulled the rabbit out of the hat with a five-wicket haul against MI while left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed (3/7) changed the complexion of the match in just one over against the Sunrisers.

    In an interesting move RCB played only three foreigners instead of four in the game against KKR.

    It will be interesting to see if they go for a similar playing XI or get in the likes of leg-spinner Adam Zampa, pacer Kane Richardson or experienced all-rounder Daniel Christian, who hasn’t impressed with the bat or ball, back into the team.

    Teams (from): Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers, Devdutt Padikkal, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj, Kane Richardson, Washington Sundar, Pavan Deshpande, Joshua Philippe, Shahbaz Ahamad, Navdeep Saini, Adam Zampa, Kyle Jamieson, Glenn Maxwell, Rajat Patidar, Sachin Baby, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Dan Christian, KS Bharat, Suyash Prabhudessai, Daniel Sams and Harshal Patel.

    Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (c & wk), Jos Buttler (wk), Ben Stokes, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Manan Vohra, Anuj Rawat, Riyan Parag, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Mahipal Lomror, Shreyas Gopal, Mayank Markande, Andrew Tye, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi, Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya, KC Cariappa, Liam Livingstone, Kuldip Yadav, Akash Singh.

    Match starts at 7.30 PM.

  • AB de Villiers is best in the business towards backend of an innings: RCB coach Simon Katich

    By ANI
    CHENNAI: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) head coach Simon Katich was all praise for AB de Villiers, saying that the Proteas star is the best in the business when it comes to batting towards the backend of an innings.

    Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers’ knocks of 78 and 76 were backed up a spirited bowling performance as Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) defeated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 38 runs on Sunday here at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

    “Boys were magnificent today, we had a tough start but the way he fought back with that partnership between Glenn Maxwell and Devdutt Padikkal got us into a position there from where we could get the score we got. At 9/2, no one would have thought we would score above 200. Maxwell and Padikkal deserve a lot of credit for setting up the platform and then AB, that was special knock as well,” said Katich in a video posted on the official Twitter handle of RCB.

    “In terms of T20 batting, we were treated to two masterclasses from Maxwell and ABD. Young Padikkal’s innings should not go unmentioned because that partnership between him and Maxwell gave us momentum in the innings and it put pressure on KKR,” he added.

    Earlier, RCB might have been 9/2 in the second over, but Maxwell and de Villiers’ knocks of 78 and 76 ensured that the side posts a total of 204/4 in the allotted twenty overs.

    Along with Maxwell and de Villiers, Devdutt Padikkal and Kyle Jamieson also played knocks of 25 and 11 respectively. For KKR, Varun Chakravarthy returned with two wickets.

    “We know that ABD is the best in the business in the backend and we have seen here in Chennai, a lot of teams have struggled at the backend and that is something we have done really well in these three games on the back of him and Maxwell. That can be the difference between winning and losing games,” said Katich.

    RCB will next take on Rajasthan Royals on Thursday here at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.