Royal Challengers Bangalore have gone through some massive ups and downs during the IPL tournament. The team reached the finals back in 2008 and 2016, but were unsuccessful at earning the cup. But the 2016 squad was undoubtedly a beast of a team, and Virat Kohli believes he’s got a similarly powerful and “balanced” squad this year.
RCB signed South Africa’s Chris Morris and Australia’s Aaron Finch this year, which only added to Kohli’s confidence in his team’s firepower.
“We’ve got a great balance of experience, the skill required for T20 cricket and the youngsters in the team who are eager to take up the responsibility and look forward to opportunities that we’re going to provide them,” he told RCB TV. “It’s an exciting time.
“As I said, that 2016 season which we’ve all loved to be a part of, it was such a memorable season. Since then, to be honest, this is the most balanced I’ve felt about the squad, as a system where we’re heading. It’s been very well taken care of now, it’s up to us to execute those things on the field.”
Kohli also shared his views on the season taking place in UAE. The skipper believes the minimal travel between the three stadiums that are in driving distance from each other makes the “competition more even”.
“In the IPL, the biggest challenge used to be travel,” he said. “You pack your bags for a two-match trip, three-match trip, you come back and it’s hectic. It is more of a level-playing field now. Three venues and every team would know the conditions. It boils down to the skill-level rather than the home-away advantage. Competition will be even and high because of this factor,” expressed Kohli.