Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson will lead Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the early phase of the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League. The 35-year old will captain the side until RCB’s regular skipper Virat Kohli recovers from the shoulder injury which he had sustained during the third Test against Australia in Ranchi.
Earlier, the Bangalore-based outfit was mulling giving AB de Villiers the captaincy in the first few games. However, the Protea star is also set to remain on the sidelines for first few games owing to a back injury.
Watson, who was bought by RCB for a whopping amount of Rs 9.5 crore in 2016, has previously captained the now-defunct Rajasthan Royals in 2014 when he fell agonisingly short of leading them to the playoffs. His team missed out on the playoffs only on run-rate and finished fifth.
“Virat Kohli, the RCB Captain will be missing the first few matches of the VIVO Indian Premier League owing to an unfortunate shoulder injury. His presence on field is dependent on him passing the fitness tests and we hope for a strong recovery for him,” team chairman Amrit Thomas was quoted as saying by an official media release.
“In the interim, Shane Watson, will lead the RCB team as the stand-in captain. Shane has been one of the top performers and a great mentor for the team, making him an ideal choice to lead the team this season till Virat is back on field,” the release added.
RCB will kick off their campaign against defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 5.