The South African contingent of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) squad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) touched down in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Saturday.
For RCB, Proteas’ giants, AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn, have played a significant part in their campaign in the previous seasons.
In the view of the lop-sided balance in the side, in favour of batsmen, RCB decided to bag the services of former Delhi Daredevils (now: Delhi Capitals) all-rounder, Chris Morris.
After a fiercely contested bid with the Mumbai Indians (MI), Morris was sold to RCB at a whopping price of INR 10 crores.
RCB’s social media handle uploaded a short video of the South African arriving in the UAE to take part in the thirteenth edition of the IPL, starting September 19.
“”And here it is RCB fans, the moment you’ve all been waiting for! @ABdeVilliers17, @DaleSteyn62
and @Tipo_Morris have joined the team in Dubai!,” RCB captioned their post.
And here it is RCB fans, the moment you’ve all been waiting for! 🤩@ABdeVilliers17, @DaleSteyn62 and @Tipo_Morris have joined the team in Dubai! 😎#PlayBold #TravelDay #IPL2020 pic.twitter.com/l0n09ZV5Jb
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) August 22, 2020
The three talked about the challenges awaiting them in the upcoming tournament, especially the searing heat of the Middle-East. The Proteas trio remained excited to join the RCB squad and hit the ground running in the prelude to the cash-rich league.
Earlier, a 40-man RCB contingent departed for the UAE, featuring players, net bowlers, physiotherapist and other personnel.
“UAE calling! The Royal Challengers are all set to take-off! Drop if you’re happy to see the RCB fam together again! #PlayBold #TravelDays #IPL2020,” RCB posted earlier.
UAE calling! ✈️🇦🇪
The Royal Challengers are all set to take-off!
Drop a ❤️ if you’re happy to see the RCB fam together again! #PlayBold #TravelDays #IPL2020 pic.twitter.com/nHLj6TUegV
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) August 21, 2020
The Challengers will settle down in Waldorf hotel in Dubai throughout the tournament. A special block of the hotel has been reserved for the team as informed by RCB chairman, Sanjeev Churiwala.
“We wanted a exclusive facility in the centre so the players have short travel time (between Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah) and there is 100 percent compliance of the bio-bubble.“We have booked the entire block which has 155 rooms with exclusive facilities like team rooms, gym and dining. All the hotel staff will also be tested to ensure more safety,” Churiwala had said.
