IPL 2020: RCB 'Sharpshooters' nail 'Yorker Challenge'; Saini, Chahal hit bullseye

With just days left for the IPL 2020 to commence, franchises have already begun to sharpen their skills, within their bio-secure bubble, aiming to clinch the silverware. Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore have also been sweating it out on the field and polishing their team with the added firepower hoping to clinch their maiden title. The Bengaluru side has often found themselves in a pool of difficulties during death overs and has identified it as a void in the side's capacity to win matches. 

However, Adam Griffith - the bowling coach - looks determined to turn the tide this year with the assistance of the slower pitches in the UAE. In an attempt to polish the death bowling skills of the side, Griffith has introduced a new and 'challenging competition' to help the RCB bowlers in nailing yorkers. While Griffith introduced and explained the new 'Yorker Challenge' to the bowlers, Director of Operations Mike Hesson, himself monitored the entire session. 

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The competition involved around spin and pace bowlers hitting the targets set by Griffith in the full-length area of the pitch. While hitting the full length earned bowlers 1 point, stumps placed on the crease earned them 3 points while the bullseye i.e. middle stump earned bowlers the highest - 5 points. Skipper Virat Kohli also witnessed the competition from the sidelines and was ecstatic as ever with his emotions on his sleeve. Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar, Umesh Yadav, Isuru Udana, and Navdeep Saini were among the many pacers who were seen participating in the video shared by RCB.

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Amongst the spinners, Yuzvendra Chahal and Washington Sundar hit the bullseye earning 5 points, however, it was Navdeep Singh's tracer bullet that stole the show, leaving skipper Virat Kohli awestruck. Although, as he hit home with 5 points, Umpire Mike Hesson ruled it to be a no-ball. Isuru Udana just missed the target and got 3 points while Siraj too got 3 points. RCB stalwarts including Parthiv Patel, AB de Villiers, and the rest of the squad cheered enthusiastically along the sides. 

IPL 2020 schedule announced 

Defending champions Mumbai Indians will face MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings in the opening clash of the tournament on September 19 in Abu Dhabi. RCB will be facing Sunrisers Hyderabad in their first match of the tournament on September 21. Compared to the regular 8 pm IST start, the games will start half an hour earlier in the upcoming edition. The afternoon matches are set to begin at 3:30 PM IST while the evening games will commence at 7:30 PM IST. In all, 24 matches will be held in Dubai, 20 in Abu Dhabi and 12 in Sharjah, while the venues for playoffs will be announced later.

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RCB Full Squad

Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Gurkeerat Mann, Devdutt Padikkal, Aaron Finch, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Adam Zampa, Dale Steyn, Isuru Udana, Moeen Ali, Pawan Negi, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Chris Morris, Pavan Deshpande Parthiv Patel, Joshua Philippe, Shahbaz Ahamad

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