IPL 2020: No crowds won't affect RCB's intensity, says Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli

ROYAL Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli admitted that playing in front of empty stands during the upcoming IPL in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will be a strange feeling. However, Kohli, 31, assured his fans that his team's intensity and passion level will not drop.

RCB, who are aiming for their maiden title, will start their IPL-13 campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Dubai on Monday. "All of us have thought about playing in empty stadiums. Of course, it's going to be a strange feeling, I won't deny that. The walk out feeling will be different [as compared to] what we had in the past," Kohli said during a virtual press conference from Dubai, where RCB appreciated the efforts of COVID-19 warriors through their My Covid Heroes initiatives.

Kohli, who has scored the most IPL runs (5,412 in 177 games) and always enjoys crowd support, added: "Crowds are an amazing part of any sport but that is not what you play for eventually. You play for the right reasons - play as a team, play for the love of the game and play passionately together. Crowd is a part of your journey when they are watching you. So, our core reason will remain organic and pretty similar from the time we all started playing as kids. But this time around, we have an opportunity to bring joy to so many other people. Our intensity level and passion will not drop [just] because there are no crowds. There is a larger reason why this is happening."

Also Read: IPL 2020: Virat Kohli enjoys day by the pool in UAE heat. See photos

When asked about bio-bubble challenges in the UAE, the prolific scorer said acceptance of the situation is the key. "It's very easy to think of the things that we are not able to do at this moment, but we have accepted that this is what we need to do...we are a part of this bio-bubble and these are the things that we can afford to do. I think all of us have really relaxed in this environment now because of that acceptance," Kohli remarked.

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