Virat Kohli fit for Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Mumbai Indians IPL 2017 tie

Virat Kohli, who missed the first three games for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2017 Indian Premier League, is fit and is available for selection for the team’s next game against Mumbai Indians on April 14.

Virat Kohli, who missed the first three games of the Indian Premier League due to a shoulder injury, has been declared fit and will be available to lead in Royal Challengers Bangalore’s next game against Mumbai Indians on Friday.

Virat Kohli has been declared fit for the 2017 Indian Premier League and he will be available for selection in the match against Mumbai Indians on April 14. (PTI)

Kohli, who sustained the injury after landing heavily while fielding in the third Test against Australia in Ranchi, missed the Dharamsala Test and did not play in the first three games against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab.

The BCCI issued a statement on Thursday which stated that the medical team had confirmed the India skipper had undergone rehabilitation and regained ‘match fitness’.

Kohli’s return will be a massive boost for RCB, last year’s runners-up. The Bangalore team’s batting is yet to fire. It recovered somewhat in the last game after AB de Villiers smashed an unbeaten 89, but neither Chris Gayle nor stand-in skipper Shane Watson have had the kind of impact they used to have.

“The BCCI medical team on Wednesday confirmed that Indian Cricket TEam and Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Mr Virat Kohli has regained match fitness,” a BCCI statement said.

Kohli himself announced he would only return to action if he felt he was ‘120 per cent fit’. A couple of days back, he uploaded a video of himself lifting weights over his head to indicate his return to fitness and also let his fans know when they would see him in action.

He was the top run-getter last year, scoring 973 runs, by far the most by a batsman in an IPL season. Kohli’s return is certain to boost interest in the tournament, which saw a number of India players sit out after an exhausting home Test season.

RCB would be aiming to bounce back after suffering a heavy loss to Kings XI Punjab in their second game at the Holkar stadium in Indore, which saw de Villiers make a successful return after missing the first two games due to back injury.