For a team that has been led by Virat Kohli, not getting much success has been quite surprising for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Despite all the star power, they are yet to win the coveted trophy as the 13edition of the tournament is scheduled to commence in the UAE on September 19. RCB has a fresh look with former New Zealand coach Mike Hesson the new team director and ex-Australia batsman Simon Katich the head coach.

In the video media conference, both, Katich and Hesson acknowledged that they had discussed RCB’s past shortcomings. As Hesson said, “Between Simon, myself, and Virat we have spent an awful lot of time looking at the way we want to build the squad and play the game. We are well aware of the history but it’s more about making sure we have got a squad that is balanced and strong in all conditions. A squad that can fight in the phases where the game’s online.”

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Talking about the opening combination of the team, Hesson elaborated, “We were looking for guys at the top of their game in international cricket. Finch was high on that list (in the auction). As a player and captain, he has done well in Australia. He is a good player of spin and brings leadership in the group. It will help Virat. Having senior players around him will take the load off him.”

RCB will start their training at the ICC Cricket Academy in Dubai in a couple of days after the completion of the mandatory quarantine period. They have a squad of 21 players with 16 already in the UAE. With Covid-19 ruling out any cricket for the majority of cricketers going into IPL, tackling mental rustiness will play a crucial role according to the coach. 

RCB’s fast bowling unit looks impressive with Chris Morris, Isuru Udana, Kane Richardson, and Dale Steyn, bought back at the auction after being released, in the line-up.

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Talking about the bowling unit, Hesson said, “Death bowling under pressure, we wanted to make sure we got it covered. We went into the auction with a lot of thought into that. We made sure we have some experienced finishers there. The likes of Udana, Morris, Richardson, Steyn have also developed other skills. The likes of Umesh Yadav and Mohammad Siraj are a year wiser. Navdeep Saini has got international experience. .”