Dubai: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli sees the best chance for his team to end their duck in IPL this year - which is a level playing field for everyone as there would be no “home and away advantage”.
In a a video posted on the official app of RCB, the master batsman said: “We definitely feel as this is our season. Me and AB de Villiers have never felt this calm going into a season, AB has been enjoying his game, he is as fit as ever, I am feeling in a better space, so yeah, it’s all about disconnecting with the things in the past, we are not going to think of what-ifs, we are just keen to do the right thing.”
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The IPL 2020 will be played from September 19 to November 10 in the UAE across three venues - Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah. Reigning champions Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, last year’s runners-up will play the tournament opener in Abu Dhabi on September 19. RCB will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in their opening match on September 21.
Kohli also said that there is a good feeling within the camp and everyone is focused on doing well in the tournament. “In the IPL, the biggest challenge is the travel bit, so I think it is more of a level playing field now, just three grounds and every team would be aware of the conditions, it will all boil down to skill level rather than having a home and away thing. Cricket would be competitive as there are just three grounds,” Kohli said.
RCB is yet to win the IPL title. The side had managed to reach the finals of 2009, 2011 and 2016 edition, but ended up on the losing side in the summit clash.
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Kohli said that he feels that this year, the side really has a balanced feel to it, and the likes of Chris Morris and Aaron Finch will hold the line-up in good stead.
“I would definitely say that we have a balanced side this year, we picked Chris Morris as he brings balance to the side. Someone like Aaron Finch has plenty of experience, he has been playing international cricket for a while,” Kohli said.
“Josh Phillipe is up and coming, he is a very exciting player, we have got a great balance of experience and youngsters this year. So it is an exciting time, the 2016 season was a memorable one for us, since then I feel this is the most balanced I have felt about the squad and it has been taken care of. It is up to us now to execute the skills,” he added.
Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings will be locking horns in the opening match of the Indian Premier League on September 19, the organisers had confirmed on Sunday.
