Royal Challengers Bangalore head coach Daniel Vettori on Friday said their star player AB de Villiers is fit for Saturday’s IPL game against Chennai Super Kings. The RCB batting mainstay had missed last the two games due to viral fever.
However, de Villiers’ compatriot Quinton De Kock has flown back home to attend a wedding.
“AB is fit. Quinton is away from this game. He has returned home for a wedding. He’s unavailable for this match. Easy decision for us to make,” Vettori told reporters here on the eve of the match.
The former Kiwi spinner also praised compatriot Colin De Grandhomme for the superb finish against Mumbai Indians when he hammered three sixes in the final over.
“Colin (De Grandhomme) did a great job in the last game. I think the 20-odd runs he scored was the reason why we won the game. Really satisfied with how Colin has come into the team.
“Mandeep (Singh) has been consistent. Finishing plays a part when you don’t do well at the top. We have done well at the top with the experienced four batsmen generally batting well,” said Vettori when asked whether finishing was a concern.
The head coach also expressed satisfaction with the way RCB bowled in their 14-run win against Mumbai Indians in Bengaluru.
“I think we got our combination right. (Tim) Southee has been exceptional, (Mohammad) Siraj has been improving and (Yuzvendra) Chahal and Umesh (Yadav) are tight as ever,” the RCB head coach said.
Vettori maintained that execution with the ball will be a defining factor in the game in Pune against rivals CSK.
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