One of the most popular teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), will be looking forward to clinching the coveted trophy that they have failed to win even once in the 11-year history of the tournament.
The Virat Kohli-led RCB has always been a batting powerhouse and IPL 2019 will be no different where the likes of AB de Villiers and Simron Hyetmer will be expected to entertain the Indian spectators with fireworks.
RCB also have an excellent set of all-rounders in Marcus Stoinis, Colin de Grandhomme, Moeen Ali and Shivam Dube. This year, the 25-year-old Dube is the most anticipated and exciting prospect to watch out for in Bangalore’s camp.
He was in his house with a bunch of friends, family and well-wishers watching the auction of the IPL last December. The bunch erupted into a chorus of cheers as Dube was sold to the Royal Challengers for a whopping 5 crore. And why not, given that the all-rounder had given himself and his chances of getting bagged a massive boost having smashed five sixes in an over a day prior to the auction in a Ranji Trophy match against Baroda.
“I’m not thinking about the 5 crore,” said Dube in Bangalore on Wednesday. “I’m just here to play cricket. I didn’t expect it, but I was hoping to be selected at the auction because I had performed well in first-class cricket. So some expectation was there but I didn’t think it would be this much.
“It was very nice to get selected, especially by RCB. RCB is one of the best teams I feel. And playing under Virat bhai is something different. I am a bit nervous, but very excited about the tournament. Every player has a dream of playing for India and playing in the IPL. One of the dream is going to come true and it will be good.”
Dube comes into a set-up that was looking largely at strengthening their middle order which has been one of their glaring weak links from the last couple of years. And given Dube’s ability to hit the big shots, he fits into the role of a finisher, lower in the middle order perfectly for RCB.
“I have got tips from Ashish bhai and Gary sir like I am going to bat at number six or number seven. They are thinking about me as a finisher in the team. We can analyse that while practicing and I will be prepared for that role.
“It’s going to be a good challenge for me. Playing in the middle order as a finisher is my job. I’ll give it 100%. It’s going to be challenging and more learning for me too. I’ll do what the team requires. The team’s requirement is more than my own,” he added.
