The Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) has offered a place to the Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake in their squad. But Blake has to fulfill a requirement to get into the team of his favorites, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.
The 29-year-old Olympic medal winner is in India for the promotion of the upcoming Road Safety World Series. The tournament will feature star cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Jonty Rhodes, Brett Lee, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Brian Lara.
During an event in Mumbai, Blake talked about his interest in playing franchise cricket. When asked which team he would like to feature for in the IPL, the sprinter named Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and RCB.
“I have two more years left in track and field, and then its cricket for me. But, I do not wish to play for the West Indies. I would love to feature in franchise cricket; I would even love to own a franchise in India. And most importantly, play for either Kolkata Knight Riders or the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Chris Gayle [fellow Jamaican] was there for a long time. I love the Bangalore team, especially Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. Also, the Kolkata team, because Gayle has played for them too,” Blake said.
Knowing that the Jamaican athlete is interested in playing the IPL, RCB came up with a tweet for Blake. They mentioned there’s a particular condition for him to play for them.
“We heard you’re interested, @YohanBlake. If you bowl as fast as you run, you already have a place reserved in our team. ????????”, RCB tweeted on Saturday.
We heard you're interested, @YohanBlake. If you bowl as fast as you run, you already have a place reserved in our team. 🙌😎
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) December 7, 2019
Blake was a fast bowler during his early days, and it was only after the school Principal saw how quickly he ran to the wicket that he was urged to try sprinting.
