IPL 2021: Kohli to join RCB camp on April 1
Indian captain Virat Kohli is set to join the Royal Challengers Bangalore camp on April 1. He will team-up with the rest of squad two days after the team begins their training camp in Chennai. Notably, the RCB will play their initial set of matches, including the tournament opener on April 9 against defending champions Mumbai Indians, in the city. Here is more.
Kohli to undergo week-long quarantine
It is understood that Kohli will have to undergo the mandatory week-long quarantine put in place by in order to operate in the bio-secure environment. The Indian captain, on Monday, quit the bubble in Pune after India's ODI series win against England. Notably, Kohli has been part of bio-secure bubbles since the end of January, ahead of the England series.
A look at the gruelling schedule
The schedule will be gruelling for the Indian players after the IPL too. Thereafter, Team India will enter a bubble ahead of their departure to England in June for the ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand. That would be followed by a five-Test series in England. In October-November, India will hosting the ICC T20 World Cup.
The scheduling needs to be looked at: Kohli
After India's ODI series win, Kohli highlighted the need to customize the scheduling, considering the movements from one bubble to another. "Scheduling needs to be looked at in future, because playing in bubbles for so long, two to three months, is going to be very, very difficult going forward. You can't expect everyone to be at the same level of mental strength," said Kohli.
Chahal, Siraj to begin training from Tuesday
Among the rest, Yuzvendra Chahal and Mohammed Siraj would be available for training from Tuesday. As per the new IPL guidelines, the players traveling between bio-secure bubbles can skip the quarantine. Meanwhile, the group that reached Chennai includes the team director Mike Hesson and batting consultant Sanjay Bangar. Navdeep Saini and AB de Villiers too reached Chennai over the weekend.
RCB still in search of their maiden IPL title
In 2020, the Royal Challengers Bangalore claimed their first playoffs berth since the 2016 edition. They finished the league stage on number four with 14 points, and were later defeated by Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator. Their skipper Virat Kohli smashed 466 runs from 15 games at an average of 42.36. He would continue his quest for a maiden IPL title this season.
