AB de Villiers bats after Virat Kohli in RCB nets under lights in Dubai; watch video

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are ensuring that they leave no stone unturned in their preparations ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2020). After the completion of their six-day quarantine period, the Virat Kohli-led side wasted no time to get back into their training. They commenced their training program on Saturday, where skipper Virat Kohli was seen having a go at the nets. On the second day, many more players took part in the session, including AB de Villiers, Gurkeerat Mann, Chris Morris, Umesh Yadav, Parthiv Patel and others.

The Bangalore-based franchise took to Twitter to share an update from their second practice session. They wrote about the RCB squad sweating it out in Dubai and not wasting any time to get back into the groove. In the video shared by the team, the RCB squad was seen engaging in a rigorous practice session under lights.

AB de Villiers expresses excitement at return to batting in nets after COVID-19 enforced hiatus

RCB's star batsman AB de Villiers seemed to have a productive first proper nets session this year, facing the likes of Chris Morris and Umesh Yadav. De Villiers walked into bat after Virat Kohli completed his nets session. "It was really good, very enjoyable to be out there,” said De Villiers after having a net under lights at the ICC Academy. “It's night time here – a bit blurry, the lights and the wicket a bit sticky. Actually, if I had it my way (this is) exactly the way I'd like my first net to be after a long time.” AB de Villiers' South African teammate Dale Steyn also was seen bowling in the nets.

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RCB squad to adopt 'personalised training approach' in IPL 2020

The RCB squad has adopted a new personalised training approach for IPL 2020 during their three-week training camp at the ICC Cricket Academy in Dubai. In an official statement released by RCB, the franchise's head of cricket operations, Mike Hesson spoke about how a single training plan will not suit the players considering the current scenario as well as the player's mindset due to the pandemic.

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The franchise's head coach, Simon Katich, also spoke about the training programme designed to ensure the player's bodies are prepared for the rigorous tournament and also enough time is provided to them to work on their skills. Split-group sessions have been designed by the management to ensure the same.

He plans to move towards training with the full squad and playing practice matches only once all the players are back in touch. He feels the personalised training programme will also be beneficial considering the COVID-19 situation as the entire squad will not be present together.

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RCB in the IPL 2020

The team management is ensuring in several ways that the players are completely ready for the tournament. RCB's official Instagram handle keeps sharing several insights on the team. From video conferencing to a revised training approach, the management is ensuring the players are ready for the mega-event.

The Virat Kohli-led side boasts of explosive batsmen such as Kohli. AB de Villiers and Aaron Finch whereas they also have proven bowlers such as Umesh Yadav, Dale Steyn, Yuzvendra Chahal and Navdeep Saini in their arsenal. Riding on all of such factors, Virat Kohli will be looking to clinch his maiden IPL title for his franchise.

AB de Villiers is one of the most experienced players for the franchise. He has scored a total of 4,395 runs in 154 games. AB de Villiers had an impressive IPL 2019 season with 442 runs in 13 games with 5 half-centuries. 

IPL 2020 dates 

The tournament is scheduled to commence from September 19 and will stretch till November 10. Considering the ongoing pandemic, the IPL 2020 will be held in the UAE behind closed doors. 

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Image Credit: RCB official Instagram account