Kamal Ghorui
BENGALURU: Nine months after a homecoming that ended in tragedy, Royal Challengers Bengaluru returned to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday, beginning preparations for the Indian Premier League, which begins here on March 28.A small but vocal group of fans gathered outside the stadium to welcome the players as the RCB contingent arrived around 4.30 pm. The session lasted two hours before rain forced an early wrap at 6.30 pm.
The spotlight, unsurprisingly, was on Virat Kohli. The former captain looked in rhythm right away as the session opened with a team huddle, where Kohli and head coach Andy Flower addressed a partially assembled squad.Skipper Rajat Patidar was the most notable absentee and is expected to join on Thursday. Batting coach Dinesh Karthik was also missing, while left-arm pacer Yash Dayal, retained for Rs 5 crore and facing criminal charges, was also absent. Among overseas recruits, only England wicketkeeper-batter Jordan Cox has arrived so far.However, TOI has learnt that the director of cricket Mo Bobat and the logistics team have mapped out travel plans for the overseas players well in advance, ensuring minimal disruption despite the ongoing unrest in West Asia.Amid the noise of construction work inside the stadium, Kohli’s bat provided the loudest sound. His trademark lofted strokes repeatedly cleared the midwicket boundary, landing deep into the stands.Kohli trained alongside Karnataka skipper and southpaw Devdutt Padikkal, with the duo taking turns against a mix of pace and spin. In an interesting move, RCB did away with net bowlers for the session, relying instead on their own bowling unit and sidearm specialists.The 37-year-old appeared particularly assured against spin, stepping out confidently against the Krunal Pandya-led spin attack. He showed similar intent against Bhuvneshwar Kumar and new recruit Venkatesh Iyer, maintaining intensity throughout.RCB, who returned to the Bengaluru venue after much dilly-dally, will open their campaign against fellow southerners Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 28. They will play four more home games at the venue and play two fixtures in Raipur.
Unbox event scrapped
The franchise’s popular ‘Unbox’ event — a fan engagement initiative that has drawn large crowds in recent seasons — will not be held this year.While there hasn’t been an official announcement, it appears the tight schedule and the planned mock drills at the stadium on Mar 23 and 26 led to the decision.
