Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli is believed to have regained his brilliance back after two weeks of intense training ahead of the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

In a video released in the official social media platforms of the RCB, Kohli can be seen hitting big shots with impeccable timing, while speaking about how the transition has taken place after spending more than six months out of the field.

“Well obviously, the first few days, you are getting your eye in, getting back in the thick of things. After five months, it’s a bit different, you try and get back into the frame of mind that you usually want to be in when you are competing. Takes a bit of time, so I think heading into these sessions now, where we are batting mostly in the middle with the hitting angles in the field, and understanding the pace of the wicket all those things. Very, very happy with how the team is shaping up,” Kohli said in the video.

The skipper also heaped praises on the other RCB players and said that the team are “looking great from the fitness point of view” before they begin their IPL 2020 campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad on September 21.

“A few shoulders were sore initially, because we threw after months and suddenly you realise, a few muscles are asleep. So, I think the guys are getting back into the intensity levels that we want. We don’t want to push anyone into a niggle or an injury. We understand it’s been a while away from the game. So, I think we have moved ahead in a balanced manner,” he stated.

“We didn’t want to be like a maniac, doing six sessions in six days. We gave ample off time to the boys which we will continue to do, along the course of these next few training sessions also. But yeah, from the fitness point of view, everyone’s looking great, everyone’s in good shape. It’s a matter of feeling good and I think I have felt good from the first session onwards. Obviously, there are a few things which you try and rectify along the way, and once you reach your optimum mindset and you enter competition, you just want to stay in that as much as possible,” concluded the Indian captain.

The 2020 season of the IPL will be played for 53 days from September 19 to November 10 across three venues in the UAE — Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Dubai.

The final match will be played on a Tuesday, to make it the first-ever IPL to have its final on a weekday. The matches this season will also start 30 minutes before their original time of 4 PM and 8 PM.