New Delhi: At a time when all the franchises are scratching their heads over whom to retain and whom to not, Royal Challengers Bangalore have already began forming their coaching staff for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League as they have acquired the signatures of two big guns-South Africa’s Gary Kirsten and India’s very own Ashish Nehra.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore have always been a team who have featured on the list, ‘to watch out for’ ahead of every IPL season but have failed to lift the silverware even once. Their best finishes came in the years 2009, 2011 and 2016 where they ended being the second best side in the tournament. Despite possessing a star-studded squad consisting of names like Virat Kohli, AB De Villiers, Chris Gayle and Shane Watson, the Royal Challengers have failed to go all the way, which has even earned them the tag of being the, ‘chokers.’
But this time, the Red and Black seem well-focused to make it count especially with the likes of Kirsten and Nehra in their ranks.
The former Proteas left-hander is no stranger to Indian cricket and it was under his tutelage that the men in blue won the coveted World Cup title in 2011 after a gap of 28 long years. In addition, Kirsten also has helped South Africa climb to the top of the Test rankings in 2012. More so, his relationship with Bengaluru skipper Virat Kohli is wonderful and he had earlier even described the 29-year-old as a, “rare talent” and an, “inspirational leader.
Despite being successful at the international stage, Kirsten hasn’t quite lived up to that reputation in the IPL where he earlier coached the Delhi Daredevils. But it would be an all-new beginning for Kirsten at Bengaluru as the batting coach.
Nehra, on the other hand has been in service of Indian cricket from the past 18 years and having worked under Kirsten during the latter’s stint as the coach of the Indian team, the left-arm speedster is well aware of his coaching style as he would fill in the shoes of the bowling coach.
Not only that but Nehra also has a lot of IPL experience with him, having ended up as the fourth highest wicket-taker in the 2015 edition with 22 scalps while representing the Chennai Super Kings.
Over all these years, he has been batting injuries and has performed well in the chances he has received and his addition to the Bengaluru setup would add that, ‘never-say-die’ attitude to the bowling unit, which has been the weakest link in the team.