Bad News For Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore! Star All-Rounder To Miss Part Of IPL 2023

01.04.2023 - 18:29 sports.ndtv.com

Ahead of his side's Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 opener against Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) head coach Sanjay Bangar said that Sri Lankan all-rounder will be available for the side only after April 9 due to his international cricket commitments.

RCB will take on MI in their IPL 2023 campaign opener on Sunday at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. "Wanindu Hasaranga will be unavailable for us till the ninth of this month," said Bangar in the pre-match press conference.

Hasaranga was the leading wicket-taker for RCB last season and was the second-highest wicket-taker overall with 26 scalps in 16 matches at an average of 16.53 and an economy rate of 7.54.

His best bowling figures in the last season were 5/18. England pacer Reece Topley will be a like-for-like replacement for Australian quick Josh Hazlewood, who will be missing out on the first half of the league due to an achilles injury, said the coach. "We sort of anticipated it (Hazlewood missing IPL games) and it was factored in the auction and pre-auction meetings.

cricket Royal Challengers Bangalore Glenn Maxwell Josh Hazlewood Reece Topley Wanindu Hasaranga Rajat Patidar Australia India Sri Lanka state California Bangalore Sanjay

Royal Challengers Bangalore, under stand-in captain Virat Kohli, had a good day on the field in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 as they registered a fine win over Punjab Kings in Mohali on Thursday. If seeing Kohli leading the RCB once again wasn't treat enough, RCB fans got two more reasons to rejoice as Kohli not only scored a half-century but also led his team to a 24-run win. There was a funny incident too. During PBKS' innings, in the middle of a DRS call, RCB star duo Kohli and Glenn Maxwell could be seen playing rock-paper scissors. Later Maxwell even commented on the incident.

Virat Kohli Completes 600 Fours in IPL, Still Behind Two Batting Greats

Star batter Virat Kohli already has a slew of records whether in IPL or international cricket and on Thursday the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batter added another one to his illustrious career. He achieved the feat of 600 IPL fours during the IPL 2023 match against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium. The former RCB skipper now has 603 fours to his name in 229 matches after hammering five boundaries during his 59-run knock against PBKS and is third in the list of four-hitters in IPL.

Virat Kohli Returns To Captain RCB, Explains Reason Behind Change For PBKS Match

As the Royal Challengers Bangalore took on Punjab Kings in an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match on Thursday, two stand-in skippers arrived in the form of Virat Kohli and Sam Curran. While Kohli was deputising for injured Faf du Plessis, Curran wore the captain's hat in place of Shikhar Dhawan who missed the second consecutive match for his franchise. After Curran opted to bowl first upon winning the toss, Kohli was asked the reason behind him donning the skipper's hat in place of Du Plessis.

Shikhar Dhawan's Injury On Punjab Kings' Mind As They Take On Royal Challengers Bangalore

Punjab Kings (PBKS) would be sweating over skipper Shikhar Dhawan's injury at a time when they need all their firepower against an extremely tough but luckless Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match here on Thursday. Dhawan, 37, who is one of the bright spots in the PBKS team, was ruled out against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on April 15 in Lucknow due to a shoulder injury and England all-rounder Sam Curran marshalled the side during their two-wicket win at the Ekana Stadium.

"I Sold My Bike...": MS Dhoni Fan's Shocking Poster During RCB Game In IPL 2023 Is Viral

MS Dhoni enjoys a massive fandom all around India and the former Indian cricket team skipper is greeted with massive roars every time he makes his way on to the pitch. The situation was nothing different on Monday when Chennai Super Kings took on Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru as the veteran was cheered throughout the game. However, there was one fan that caught the eye of the internet and his placard has gone viral on social media. The fan came with a banner that said, "I sold my bike just to see Thala Dhoni all the way from Goa."

Watch: Virat Kohli And MS Dhoni Enjoy Post-Match Chat In IPL 2023. Video Breaks Internet

The stories of the friendship and camaraderie between MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli are almost legendary in cricketing circles. Both of them shared a lot of time in the Indian cricket dressing room and the two stars of Indian cricket met once again during the Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday. While CSK emerged victorious by eight wickets, Kohli and Dhoni engaged in an animated chat at the end of the match and both of them ended up having a long conversation at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. In a video going viral, both of them can be seen sharing a laugh and talking about a variety of topics.