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Published 14:44 IST, April 28th 2020

RCB coach Mike Hesson thanks Indian government for making him reach NZ safely

Mike Hesson was appointed as the Director of Cricket Operations at RCB for the 2020 season. He was the head coach of the Kings XI Punjab in 2019. Read on.

Reported by: Mrigank Pandey
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RCB Chief of Operations Mike Hesson was in India as the team prepared for the IPL 2020. However, as the coronavirus pandemic tightened its grips on the country, the IPL was suspended by the BCCI until April 15. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi then announced a lockdown on the entire country till April 14.

Later on, the lockdown was extended till May 3 which led to the BCCI indefinitely suspending the IPL 2020. After being stuck in the country, RCB coach Mike Hesson has finally made his way back to New Zealand.

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RCB coach Mike Hesson thanks Narendra Modi-led Indian government after taking NZ flight

RCB coach Mike Hesson was in Bangalore due to the lockdown and the lack of domestic and international flights meant that the RCB coach would have to remain in Bangalore. On Tuesday, Hesson announced on his Twitter that he had made a road trip from Bangalore to Mumbai and had finally boarded his plane to New Zealand. He thanked the Indian government along with PM Narendra Modi for the treatment he received. Here is Hesson's tweet.

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Here is how Hesson's fans reacted to the news of the Kiwi reaching home.

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New Zealand is said to be the first country in the world to have completely eliminated COVID-19 according to its Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, making Mike Hesson's arrival a timely one back home. Hesson was the head coach of the Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2019 and left his job to reportedly apply for the role of Team India coach. After Ravi Shastri was retained as India's head coach, Hesson was appointed as the Director of Cricket Operations at RCB.

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Hesson had remained very hands-on with the team and was even very influential in the team's IPL auction for bagging players such as Aaron Finch, Chris Morris and Isuru Udana. The IPL is currently suspended due to the India lockdown.

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14:44 IST, April 28th 2020