Mike Hesson selects Aditya Thakare to be a part of RCB's development squad ahead of IPL 2020

The much-awaited IPL 2020 is all set to hit the floors from September 19th in the UAE. With a surge in COVID-19 across the country, UAE emerged as a viable option for the BCCI to host the cash-rich league.

However, to curb the risk of COVID-19 transmission, the BCCI limited the squad strength to 24, with players living in a bio-secure bubble during the course of the tournament. But to help the players gain some practice on UAE pitches, franchises are set to take net bowlers with them.

Teams are working out on the roster of net bowlers which will comprise of maximum First-class U19 and U23 state level cricketers. This will be a great opportunity for the youngster to flaunt their talent and sharpen their skills by bowling against world-class batsmen.

One of such players will be Aditya Thakare, whose consistency with the ball has been the biggest reasons behind RCB Director of Cricket Operations Mike Hesson selecting him for the franchise’s development squad. The Vidarbha pacer will also travel to UAE to show his potential in the nets ahead of IPL 2020. 21-year-old Thakare is currently going through a quarantine period in Bangalore before he flies to the UAE with an aim to impress skipper Kohli in the nets.

Aditya Thakare had delivered an impressive performance in the latest Ranji season

“He is going through a series of Covid-19 tests as has been the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) given by the BCCI to franchise. It’s great to see Aditya in the RCB fold. If he impresses the support staff and skipper Virat Kohli in nets, who knows where he can land?” a VCA source told the Times of India.

Thakare had delivered an impressive performance for Vidarbha in the latest Ranji season. He had grabbed the headlines after picking a seven-wicket haul against Delhi. It was his brilliant spell against Delhi which caught the attention of Mike Hesson. The former New Zealand coach met Thakare during the Hyderabad game and offered the youngster a one-year contract.

Thakare had also delivered an impressive performance for Vidarbha in the CK Nayudu Trophy. He had claimed 46 wickets in eight matches at a brilliant average of 13.32. He was even a part of U19 World Cup-winning squad. Thakare was the third Vidarbha player after Faiz Fazal and Chandrashekhar Atram to represent India in the U19 World Cup.

Former Vidarbha coach Chandrakant Pandit, who gave a big opportunity to Thakare in the Ranji Trophy final, is happy for the youngster getting international exposure.

“It’s a second big opportunity for him after that Ranji final. He should make use of it and try to learn from international players in the RCB fold. He should not think only to play Twenty20. He should work hard on other aspects of his game. I hope this turns out to be a good learning curve for Aditya,” said Pandit.