Hesson, Kohli issue stern warning to RCB players

Royal Challengers Bangalore's Director of Cricket Mike Hesson and captain Virat Kohli on Monday issued a stern warning to the team, saying anyone found guilty of breaching the bio-secure bubble willfully will end up facing serious consequences.

Responding to a question from Kohli -- during the team's induction meeting held virtually -- on what would be the repercussions if a player breached the bubble, Hesson said the guilty party would be dealt with severely.

"We have a document that the BCCI has written which is basically a part of your contract. So if there is a breach of the bubble through a wilful act then it becomes a contractual issue between the player and RCB. It'll be dealt with very seriously," warned Hesson in the video which was shared by the franchise on Twitter.

"If there is an issue where it is an accidental breach of the bubble then players will be removed, they will have to go under isolation for 7 days. They have to repeat their tests before they are allowed to get back into the bubble again. So there are some protocols which we have to go through. It (breaching the bubble and testing positive) actually affects the whole tournament. So it's not just RCB, it's the tournament, the TV rights, so there will be strong consequences if a player chooses to do that. Every player from every team needs to sign a document that basically explains the consequences around that."

Kohli toed Hesson's line. "I would expect everyone to be on the same page in terms of securing the bubble at all times and making sure that nothing is compromised because one mistake from any of us could literally spoil the whole tournament.

"All I am saying is that if someone was to end up in such a situation or a position, for me that's letting the whole team down because it might happen at a stage of the tournament where we can't afford to lose that player. And if he does so and we get harmed by it then the whole team, the whole culture loses. So I just wanted to talk about this so that everyone understands the importance of the repercussions that might take place if we violate any of the rules."

Prior to the warning though, the skipper, appearing very relaxed, said he's keen on creating a strong team culture and can't wait to get back on the field. "I can't wait to get to our first practice session, something that all of us are going to cherish. It's an opportunity to create a good team culture from day one which has to about the (RCB) badge AB (de Villiers) is currently touching. We play for that at all times. For me, it's all about how can I create an environment where everyone feels part of the team equally and everyone feels responsible for where we want to go. I think all of us have to contribute to that. Firstly the seniors in the team, I couldn't be happier being with all of them. Let's start things on a right note."