IPL 2021 is rapidly approaching, and players are working tirelessly to ensure that they are in the best possible condition for the competition. Although some franchises aim to add to their trophy cabinet, others, such as the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) headed by Virat Kohli, seek to end their title drought. RCB played an intra-squad practise match to test their talents in a match-like scenario before meeting defending champions Mumbai Indians in the first match of IPL 2021. RCB only had 12 players available for the match because some of their players were still in quarantine, including Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini, and Mohammed Siraj.
Bold Diaries: Head Coach Simon Katich Interview
On @myntra presents Bold diaries, Head Coach Simon Katich spoke about his work from home experience during the IPL auction, the gains from 2020 season, and strengthening the core group for #IPL2021.#PlayBold #WeAreChallengers pic.twitter.com/gnFw493cwe— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) April 2, 2021
As the team batting first were bowled out for 153 runs, Rajat Patidar, who was bought this year for his base price of Rs 20 lakh, scored a quickfire half-century (54 off just 35 balls) and Suyash Prabhudessai scored 25 off 15 balls. Saini gave up 40 runs but took three critical wickets, while Chahal bowled beautifully and finished with 2 for 20.
Harshal Patel, an all-rounder, was the highlight of the day, scoring runs with both the bat and the ball. In a quickfire cameo, he first picked up two wickets before taking the team over the line with two overs to spare. For his overall results, he was named Man of the Match.
RCB qualified for the playoffs after a weak run of form at the end of last season, but were defeated in the Eliminator by SunRisers Hyderabad.
Forget about last season’s disappointment; the Virat Kohli-led side would want to put together more consistent results this year if they are to win the coveted title for the first time.