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Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) director of cricket operations and head coach Mike Hesson has opened up on the challenges that the IPL as a whole might face in the forthcoming second leg of the tournament in the UAE.
The first leg of IPL 2021 was postponed mid-way in April due to the rise in COVID-19 cases inside the teams' bio-bubbles. The T20 extravaganza will now resume in the UAE with a clash between two-time defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on 19th September.
The second phase of IPL 2021 will clash with several international tours and Hesson explained the challenges the world's biggest T20 carnival faces ahead of its resumption next month. The former New Zealand coach told Sky Sports NZ:
"Certainly some challenges. It’ll be a busy time with the IPL starting again with the replacement windows and lots of different tours happening at the same time. So a little bit different than your normal IPL."
RCB's director of cricket operations, Mike Hesson, is also the current head coach of the Bangalore-based franchise. The development happened after former head coach Simon Katich stepped down citing personal reasons.
RCB vice president Rajesh Menon earlier confirmed that Hesson will fill both roles until the end of the season. He said:
“As the season resumes in the UAE, it’s going to be an exciting chapter ahead. Simon Katich has decided to step down as the head coach of RCB, we would like to thank Katich for his work during his time at Royal Challengers and wish him success in the future. In the interim, Mike Hesson will step in and discharge the duties of head coach until the end of the current season, in addition to his existing role of director of cricket.”
Challenges can be different without the window purely allocated to the IPL: Mike Hesson
Mike Hesson also reiterated that the challenges the second phase of IPL 2021 will face can also reflect upon the franchises, who are looking for replacements due to players pulling out of the tournament for national duty or personal reasons. He added:
"A few different challenges in trying to get your team together during a different time of the year, when there is not that window purely allocated to the IPL."
The RCB, who are currently third in the table, have been one of the better sides in IPL 2021. But it remains to be seen how they will fare in the UAE. The Virat Kohli-led team will resume their IPL campaign against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on September 20th.
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