Injured Cheteshwar Pujara doubtful for four RCB matches

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Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) preparatory camp for the Indian Premier League will commence at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Tuesday.

RCB's South African coach Ray Jennings and batting consultant Mark O'Donell of New Zealand will oversee the preparations while bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad will return after his coaching assignments with Uttar Pradesh at the All India Mushtaq Ali T20 domestic tournament.

Left-arm seamers Zaheer Khan, who has recovered from a calf injury and Jayadev Unadkat are expected to join the camp on Tuesday. However, the number of players who will assemble for the camp on the opening day is not known yet as several domestic signings and foreign imports are busy with their respective squads on state and national duties.

RCB's Sri Lankan import Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka) is expected to arrive on March 28 followed by Andrew McDonald (Australia), Moises Henriques (Aus), Ravi Rampaul (WI), Christopher Barnwell (WI) and wicketkeeper/batsman AB de Villiers (South Africa).

Explosive all-rounder Chris Gayle is likely to join the team on April 1 while Sri Lankan opener Tillakaratne Dilshan will arrive on the same day after the home series against Bangladesh ends on March 31.

Initially, the camp will be held during the day. Practice matches will be held under lights after the full squad assembles. However, with IPL guidelines permitting home teams to conduct four free sessions under lights before the start of the tournament, the RCB team management has decided to conduct night practice from April 1.

CAUSE OF CONCERN

Cheteshwar Pujara, who injured his right index finger during the recent Test series against Australia, has put RCB in a quandary. The Saurashtra cricketer, who had a remarkable outing against Australia, is likely to miss the first four matches as he would be on rehab.

Meanwhile, former RCB captain Daniel Vettori of New Zealand, who was out of action after suffering a recurrence of Achilles tendon injury during the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka last year, showed signs of recovery after he returned to competitive cricket playing for Northern Districts in their domestic tournament.

Gayle, who sustained a thigh injury during West Indies' away series in Australia in February, too bounced back into form with a magnificent century - his 15th Test ton - in their home series against Zimbabwe a week ago.

Bangalore team will begin their campaign against Mumbai Indians on April 4. This will be followed by an away tie against Sunrisers Hyderabad of April 7.


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