Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) is one of the most popular and exciting teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL). They have been finalists in three seasons and are expected to win the tournament, year after year.
However, they have managed to belie those expectations with the bottom of the points table finishes in the last three seasons. However, skipper Virat Kohli is confident of a miracle happening when the IPL 2020 begins on September 19 in the UAE. RCB will face Sunrisers Hyderabad in Dubai on September 21 in their tournament opener.
Speaking to sports presenter Danish Sait in the latest episode of RCB's Bold Diaries, Virat Kohli says that he is confident that this RCB side, this season is capable of lifting the trophy.
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"We definitely feel it will. We [AB de Villiers and I] have spoken about this that we have never felt so calm going into a season before. He is coming from a very different space, he has been enjoying his life. He is very relaxed. He came out to play a few times recently and he was looking like he's still playing in 2011. He is as fit as ever. I am feeling like I am in a much better space, much more balanced when it comes to the environment in the IPL,” Kohli said.
"It's all about disconnecting with things that have happened in the past and not taking that baggage. We have done that too many times. Just because we have a bunch of players that are so skilled, people like seeing them play is the reason why people have had so much expectation as well.”
“We are not going to think of what-ifs, we know what we can do as a team. And we're just very, very keen and hungry to go out there and do it,” he added.
Virat Kohli lauded the support received from the franchise owners despite difficult times in the past and said that this time they focused on getting the mix of the youth and experience right during the auction.
"I would definitely agree with that (most all-around squad). The reason why we wanted someone like Chris Morris precisely for that reason. He brings a lot of experience into the squad. The youngsters whom we have picked this year are exciting too. Someone like Aaron Finch, who has a lot of experience, playing international cricket for a while, Josh Philippe, up and coming, exciting player,” Kohli said.
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"We have got a great balance of experience, the skill required for T20 cricket, and the youngsters in the team who are eager to take up responsibilities and looking forward to opportunities. To be honest, that 2016 season which we all loved to be a part of, since then this is the most balanced I have felt about the squad, as a system as to where we are heading. It's been very well taken care of now. It's up to us to execute on the field,” Kohli signed off.
Here is the video:
