<p>Bengaluru: Intensity and skillset were the flavours on offer as <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/royal-challengers-bangalore">Royal Challengers Bengaluru</a>, sans Virat Kohli, went through a three-hour long training session at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Friday.</p>.<p>Under the watchful eyes of head coach Andy Flower, the main focus was ample batting time for skipper Rajat Patidar, Devdutt Padikkal and Venkatesh Iyer. </p>.<p>Patidar first started off on one of the side nets, facing two throwdown specialists. After getting his eye in, he focussed on range hitting and smashed a few along the V. </p>.<p>Patidar then shifted to the main net and faced full-length deliveries, targetting the mid-wicket region against the net bowlers. </p>.IPL 2026 | Power-packed Mumbai Indians eye comeback as Rohit, Pandya chase redemption.<p>While the sound of the Patidar's bat echoed across an empty stadium, there was a sense of frustration throughout Iyer's session as he struggled with his timing. </p>.<p>Following a brief conversation with batting coach Dinesh Karthik, he started to grow in confidence and smashed a few deliveries into the netting.</p>.<p>Iyer's session did not end there as he later moved to another nets and played deliveries on the fuller length while continuing his conversion with Karthik.</p>.<p>Padikkal spent a good 20 minutes facing good-length deliveries at the main nets.</p><p>While there were a few play and misses, the southpaw looked at ease throughout his session. He was accompanied by Englishman Jordan Cox, who mainly worked on his range hitting. </p>.<p>Padikkal then switched to the side net, where he took on throwdown specialists and unfurled his full range of strokes. </p>.<p>Wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma went through a 45-minute long skill session and ended it with some catching practice before he padded up to bat. </p>.<p>The 32-year-old started on the third net and faced short length deliveries where he pulled and hooked with comfort. </p>.<p>Switching to the main nets, he used the depth of the crease well and looked to play on the backfoot. </p>.IPL 2026 RCB home matches | From ticket bookings to free metro facility: Here's all you need to know .<p>Switching batting slots with him was Tim David, who was constantly shuffled and played on the front foot. The duo batted for about 30 minutes before David practiced some catching. </p>.<p>Patidar, Padikkal and Iyer then practiced their reverse sweeps and switch-hits for about 25 minutes to wrap things up. RCB are scheduled to have their first practice game on Saturday evening. </p>.<p>Yash Dayal, who is embroiled with off-field issues, continues to remain absent from RCB's training sessions.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: Intensity and skillset were the flavours on offer as <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/royal-challengers-bangalore">Royal Challengers Bengaluru</a>, sans Virat Kohli, went through a three-hour long training session at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Friday.</p>.<p>Under the watchful eyes of head coach Andy Flower, the main focus was ample batting time for skipper Rajat Patidar, Devdutt Padikkal and Venkatesh Iyer. </p>.<p>Patidar first started off on one of the side nets, facing two throwdown specialists. After getting his eye in, he focussed on range hitting and smashed a few along the V. </p>.<p>Patidar then shifted to the main net and faced full-length deliveries, targetting the mid-wicket region against the net bowlers. </p>.IPL 2026 | Power-packed Mumbai Indians eye comeback as Rohit, Pandya chase redemption.<p>While the sound of the Patidar's bat echoed across an empty stadium, there was a sense of frustration throughout Iyer's session as he struggled with his timing. </p>.<p>Following a brief conversation with batting coach Dinesh Karthik, he started to grow in confidence and smashed a few deliveries into the netting.</p>.<p>Iyer's session did not end there as he later moved to another nets and played deliveries on the fuller length while continuing his conversion with Karthik.</p>.<p>Padikkal spent a good 20 minutes facing good-length deliveries at the main nets.</p><p>While there were a few play and misses, the southpaw looked at ease throughout his session. He was accompanied by Englishman Jordan Cox, who mainly worked on his range hitting. </p>.<p>Padikkal then switched to the side net, where he took on throwdown specialists and unfurled his full range of strokes. </p>.<p>Wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma went through a 45-minute long skill session and ended it with some catching practice before he padded up to bat. </p>.<p>The 32-year-old started on the third net and faced short length deliveries where he pulled and hooked with comfort. </p>.<p>Switching to the main nets, he used the depth of the crease well and looked to play on the backfoot. </p>.IPL 2026 RCB home matches | From ticket bookings to free metro facility: Here's all you need to know .<p>Switching batting slots with him was Tim David, who was constantly shuffled and played on the front foot. The duo batted for about 30 minutes before David practiced some catching. </p>.<p>Patidar, Padikkal and Iyer then practiced their reverse sweeps and switch-hits for about 25 minutes to wrap things up. RCB are scheduled to have their first practice game on Saturday evening. </p>.<p>Yash Dayal, who is embroiled with off-field issues, continues to remain absent from RCB's training sessions.</p>