AB de Villiers has set the ball rolling for the UAE leg of IPL 2021, by hitting a 46-ball 104, including 10 sixes and 7 boundaries, in a practice match. While captain Kohli and the likes of Mohammed Siraj and Dan Christian are in quarantine, the rest of the players took the field for a practice game. They were divided into two teams – RCB A and RCB B, led by Harshal Patel and Devdutt Padikkal respectively. Patel’s RCB A, that had AB de Villiers, won the toss and opted to bat. They went off to a solid start but lost a wicket early. De Villiers and Mohammad Azharudden then stitched a massive partnership for the second wicket as the former reached his fifty in the seventh over.
The dynamic South African batsman continued his fireworks, scoring 104 off 46 deliveries. His knock was laced with 7 boundaries and 10 sixes. Azharudden also blasted 66 runs of 43 ball, including 3 sixes and 4 boundaries, as RCB A set a 213-run target for RCB B to chase. In reply, captain Padikkal and KS Bharat provided a rollicking start to RCB B in the chase. The latter played a solid innings of 95 runs off 47 balls while the skipper contributed with a 21-ball 36. The contest turned interesting towards the end as Padikkal’s team three runs off the final two deliveries. However, they finished the chase with a boundary and won the game by 7 wickets. Speaking to RCB about the conditions on offer in the UAE, AB de Villiers said once the breeze started coming in, he was able to cut loose and make good use of the batting-friendly pitch. "When I got off the bus, I thought we were crazy, playing cricket in the middle of the day here. Luckily the breeze came out and I told my partner, 'listen, let's get ourselves in and the wicket is going to get flat' which it did," he said. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are gearing up for the second phase of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021, which begins on September 19 in Dubai. The team is scheduled to square off against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on September 21.
