BENGALURU: Nine months after a homecoming that ended in tragedy, Royal Challengers Bengaluru returned to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday to begin 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 when the RCB contingent arrived around 4.30 pm. The session lasted two hours before rain forced an early wrap-up at 6:30 p.m.
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Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag watches West Ham vs Man City in LondonThe focus, unsurprisingly, was on Virat Kohli. The former skipper immediately settled into a rhythm as the session began with a team huddle where Kohli and head coach Andy Flower addressed the partially assembled squad.The most notable absentee was captain Rajat Patidar and he is expected to join on Thursday. Also missing was batting coach Dinesh Karthik and left-arm paceman Yash Dayal, who was held for Rs 5 crore and faces criminal charges. Among the overseas recruits, only the English wicketkeeper-spinner Jordan Cox has arrived so far.However, TOI has learned that director of cricket Mo Bobat and the logistics team mapped out travel plans for the overseas players well in advance, ensuring minimal disruption despite the ongoing unrest in West Asia.Amid the din of construction work inside the stadium, Kohli’s bat provided the loudest sound. His signature lofted shots repeatedly cleared the midwicket boundary and landed deep into the stands.Kohli trained alongside Karnataka captain and South American Devdutt Padikkal, with the duo alternating against a mix of pace and spin. In an interesting move, RCB did away with the net bowlers for this match and instead relied on their own bowling unit and sidearm specialists.The 37-year-old looked particularly confident against spin and stepped up confidently against a spin attack led by Krunal Pandya. He showed similar intent against Bhuvneshwar Kumar and new recruit Venkatesh Iyer, maintaining the intensity throughout.Returning to Bengaluru after a long spell, RCB will begin their campaign against fellow southerners Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 28. They will play four more home matches there and two matches in Raipur.
The unpack event has been canceled
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 no official announcement has been made, it appears that a tight schedule and planned mock drills at the stadium on March 23 and 26 led to the decision.
