IPL 2017 | Shane Watson to lead RCB in Virat Kohli's absence

"Virat Kohli, the RCB captain will be missing the first few matches of the VIVO Indian Premier League owing to an unfortunate shoulder injury. His presence on field is dependent on him passing the fitness tests and we hope for a strong recovery for him. In the interim, Shane Watson will lead the RCB team as the stand-in captain," RCB chairman Amrit Thomas said in a press release. 

"Shane has been one of the top performers and a great mentor for the team, making him an ideal choice to lead the team this season till Virat is back on field."

Kohli scored 973 runs at an average of 81.08 last season to win the orange cap for the first time. Watson, too, played a big hand in RCB's run to the final, picking up 20 wickets.

Thomas said Kohli would travel with the team to Hyderabad to boost their confidence in the inaugural match of the 10th edition against defending champions Sunrisers on Wednesday.

"Virat who is a core pillar of the RCB team will be working closely with the RCB coach Daniel Vettori and mentoring the team to make sure the team hitting the field on April 5 and beyond is well prepared and motivated to play bold like always," Thomas said.

"We have a line-up of exceptional young batsmen who are strong assets to the team and we hope to see our bold team to come together to create new milestones this season," he concluded.