With a day to go before their opening tie against defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad in the tenth edition of the Indian Premier League, the arrival of star batsman AB de Villiers and regular skipper Virat Kohli in their set up has lent immense boost to the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s camp.

Kohli, sidelined for two weeks due to a shoulder injury, joined the team on Sunday evening. The talismanic player expectedly skipped the team’s practice game here at the Chinnaswamy stadium on Monday but was seen taking throw-downs for about ten minutes. Though Kohli will miss at least the first five games, the stylish right-handed batsman will be travelling with the team.

De Villiers, who missed the Momentum Cup final at Centurion last week due to back injury, joined the team on Monday. The South African stalwart has been declared unavailable for the first match.

“AB de Villiers has travelled well. However, he still has some minor discomfort and we felt that a couple of days’ off would be best before we have him back in action,” said a statement from RCB.

Morale boost
The presence of Kohli and de Villiers has upped the morale of the side, said all-rounder Pawan Negi. Negi said Kohli has donned the role of a mentor.

“After he joined us, he had a chat with the team. He spoke to a couple of players individually also. We had a meeting in which he stressed on concentrating on our skills more than anything else,” said Negi.

“Despite being injured, he has decided to stay with the team. It’s such a huge motivation,” added Negi.

Negi said that de Villiers’ arrival has further enhanced the team atmosphere.

“The team atmosphere is good with AB back in the squad. I had a small interaction with him and I am looking forward to playing with him,” he said.