Shane Watson has been named the interim captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the upcoming tenth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) until regular skipper Virat Kohli returns to full fitness.
Kohli, who sustained a shoulder injury during India’s Test series against Australia, will be assessed in the second week of April, which means Watson will be the captain for possibly the first four matches that RCB will play, with the fourth one scheduled on April 14 against Mumbai Indians at home.
“Virat Kohli, the RCB Captain will be missing the first few matches of the Indian Premier League owing to an unfortunate shoulder injury,” RCB chairman Amrit Thomas said. “His presence on 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.”
Meanwhile, AB De Villiers will miss the IPL opener on Wednesday (April 5), when Bangalore take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad, but the franchise is hoping he’ll be available for their second match, against Delhi Daredevils at home on April 8.
“AB De Villiers has traveled well. However he still has some minor discomfort and we felt that couple of days off would be best before we have him back in action,” said Vettori. “We hope to see him on the field in good form by the 8th April match against Delhi Daredevils.”
