Security threat to Kohli ahead of IPL Eliminator; RCB cancel practice: Report

Ahead of their IPL 2024 Eliminator game against Rajasthan Royals (RR), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) had to cancel their practice session due to a security to their star batter Virat Kohli, according to a media report.

RCB, who entered the IPL 2024 playoffs with six wins in a row, will face RR tonight (May 22) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The winner will play Qualifier 2 in Chennai on May 24 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

On Tuesday, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) defeated SRH by eight wickets in Qualifier 1 in Ahmedabad to enter the final, which will be played in Chennai on Sunday, May 26.

With KKR and SRH playing at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday, RCB and RR were provided a different ground for practice. However, RCB did not practice at the Gujarat College Ground in Ahmedabad and also cancelled their pre-match press conference, a report in Anandabazar Patrika Bengali newspaper said.

A police officer said RCB did not want to take risks and practice. However, RR did not have any security issues and went ahead with their practice session.

“Virat Kohli learned about the arrests after arriving in Ahmedabad. He is a national treasure, and his security is our utmost priority,” Vijay Singh Jwala, a police officer, said, according to media reports. “RCB did not want to take a risk. They informed us that there would be no practice session. Rajasthan Royals were also informed about the development, but they had no problems going ahead with their practice.”

On Monday, Gujarat Police arrested four Sri Lankan nationals from Ahmedabad airport over suspicion of terror activities.