Xtra Time Web Desk: There was loud cheers from the fans who gathered outside the Eden Gardens to watch star studded Royal Challengers Bangalore team arrive for their training on Tuesday night. Much to their disappointment none of RCB star trio – Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell turned up for training. All eyes were on Dinesh Karthik during the next three hours of RCB training. The ex-KKR captain was sweating it out along with other teammates as he will have a point to prove after being removed from captaincy mid-way in the IPL 2021. The ace wicketkeeper batter was retained by Royal Challengers Bangalore for INR 5.5 crore ahead of IPL 2023 auctions.
Karthik, who took up the mantle of KKR captaincy following the exit of Gautam Gambhir in 2018 did a decent job. The cricketer from Tamil Nadu spearheaded the side to the playoffs in the first year itself. But a poor outing in IPL 2021 season saw the franchise removing him from captaincy.
The 37-year-old is back at the Eden Gardens and will be eyeing a good performance against his former franchise. He was seen walking out to bat first at the nets. He batted for an hour in the nets. Few of the shots DK hit were simply stunning. He looked like a man on a mission.