IPL 2019: Dale Steyn joins Royal Challengers Bangalore as a replacement for Coulter-Nile

What's the story?

Veteran South African fast bowler Dale Steyn has been signed by Royal Challengers Bangalore as a replacement for the injured Nathan Coulter-Nile.

The background

Australian fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile was expected to join the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad for IPL 2019 after the end of Australia's tour to UAE. However, he was ruled out of the season because of an injury.

Meanwhile, RCB lost all of their initial 6 matches to find themselves at the bottom of the IPL points table. The team's bowling department has been held responsible for this losing streak, and the onus was on the team management to get the team back on track by bringing an experienced name in the squad.

The heart of the matter

Since Coulter-Nile could not play because of his injury, the Virat Kohli-led outfit included Tim Southee in the playing XI. However, the tall Kiwi pacer could not deliver the goods for the team, getting hammered by Andre Russell in the match against KKR.

Thus, the team has now picked the legendary Steyn to bolster the bowling attack. This move will not only add some spice to the line-up but also bring some new blood into the RCB camp.

Steyn's last IPL appearance came way back in 2016, where he turned up for the now defunct Gujarat Lions. RCB was actually the first ever IPL team that Steyn played in, and he will now make his return to the franchise after a long gap of 9 years.

The right-arm quick has 92 IPL wickets to his name in 90 matches.

What's next?

The Royal Challengers Bangalore will play their next game tomorrow against Kings XI Punjab. It will be interesting to see whether they include Steyn for the fixture at Mohali.

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