The Royal Challengers Bangalore have named Shane Watson as the stand-in captain after Virat Kohli’s potential successor AB de Villiers too was rendered doubtful for their opening match against Sunrisers Hyderabad to be played on Wednesday.
In a late night release on Monday, the RCB made the announcement which also almost ruled out Sarfaraz Khan from the tournament after the youngster picked up a leg injury during the team’s practice here on Monday.
The nature and extent of damage, however, were not revealed by the RCB management which is still assessing the injury.
“Virat Kohli, the RCB captain, will be missing the first few matches of the Indian Premier League owing to an unfortunate shoulder injury,” stated the release.
Fitness test
“His presence on the field is dependent on him passing the fitness tests and we hope for a strong recovery for him. In the interim, Shane Watson, will lead the RCB team as the stand-in captain.
“Shane has been one of the top performers and a great mentor for the team, making him an ideal choice to lead the team this season till Virat is back on field,” it further read.
De Villiers, who was indicated to lead the side by coach Daniel Vettori last week, will be unavailable at least for the first match as he “still has some minor discomfort”.
It maybe recalled that the right-hander had pulled out of Mumentum Cup final, South Africa’s 50-over franchise tournament, on Sunday due to a back problem.
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