He also explained why RCB is among among the hot favourites for the IPL trophy.
Former Indian cricketer and former chairman of selectors Dilip Vengsarkar has backed Virat Kohli-led Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to break their jinx of not winning the title in 12 attempts in the ongoing 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020.
RCB has made a great start to their IPL 2020 campaign by winning two out of their three matches in the tournament so far and Vengsarkar picked them as the hot favorites for the IPL 13 trophy citing their well-rounded team as one of the factors.
The RCB was very close to winning the IPL crown thrice in 2009, 2011, and 2016 but ended with disappointment. But this year, they can bag the IPL 2020 title in the UAE, feels the former skipper.
Vengsarkar told IANS in an exclusive interview: “In this T20 format, it is very difficult to say who the front runners will be. But I would say Bangalore is winning it this time because they haven't won it so far. Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Yuzvendra Chahal will come good. They have a lot of good players in the squad. Pacer Navdeep Saini bowled extremely well in their first game (against SunRisers Hyderabad). So, I will be interested to see their progress in the tournament.”
He further added, “Well, the RCB could be the favorites -- one of the favorites -- but I can't stick out my neck and say that X, Y or Z will (surely) win. But they could be one of the favorites.”
On IPL 13 being held in the UAE second time, the former batsman said: “Basically, the conditions are humid in the UAE. But then that is bound to happen because, in these months, it's quite warm and humid there. And, of course, IPL in India is played in 10-12 centers, and in the UAE you are playing only at three centers, so there will be wear and tear of the pitches as you go along. It will be interesting.”
He concluded, “The spinners can come into play later on with the help of pitches. And the weather will definitely improve because October and November are relatively cooler, especially in the evenings, in the UAE. I say this because I used to play in Sharjah etc., so I know a bit about the weather.”
(With IANS Inputs)