RCB skipper Virat Kohli will miss the start of IPL 2017 and his fitness will be assessed in the second week of April to determine his IPL return.
Kohli hurt his shoulder during the third game of the recently concluded India-Australia Test series and may miss the IPL for first two weeks as per the latest reports.
Also, KL Rahul will be unavailable this IPL season, owing to a shoulder injury. He will soon be traveling to London to undergo surgery.
Meanwhile, owing to these injuries, RCB head coach Daniel Vettori said that young batsman Sarfaraz Khan could get an opportunity early on in the tournament, for he has been really good this domestic season.
“Sarfaraz has been really good. At the back end of the domestic season, he started to put some runs on the board. Everyone knows how talented he is. With possible injuries, he could get an opportunity early on in the tournament,” Vettori said.
Vettori also said that their side has enough bench strength to manage in Kohli’s absence as its boasts of some exceptional batsmen including Sarfaraz and Mandeep Singh, who haven’t had many chances coming their way.
“Fortunately, we have a number of exceptional batsmen who haven’t got many playing chances, like Sarfaraz Khan and Mandeep Singh. It is a huge asset for us that someone else can fill in those gaps,” he added.
