Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) announced on Saturday that head coach Simon Katich has stepped down due to personal reasons. In place of him, director of cricket operations Mike Hesson will take over as head coach till the end of the season.

“Simon Katich has decided to step down from his post as head coach and mainly due to personal reasons. We support his decision. Mike Hesson will step in and discharge the duties as head coach until the end of this tournament. Hesson has been coaching NZ team and other teams. Mike will step in until the end of the tournament,” said Rajesh Menon, vice-president and head, Royal Challengers Bangalore in the press conference.

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The franchise also said that they have signed Sri Lankan duo of Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera apart from Singapore’s Tim David as replacement players.

Leg-spinner Hasaranga is a replacement for Australia’s Adam Zampa, who had pulled out of the tournament due to personal reasons. He was impressive in the three-match T20I series against India, taking seven wickets at an economy rate of 5.58.

Chameera replaces Zampa’s country-mate Daniel Sams, who has pulled out along with Kane Richardson. He was the second-highest wicket-taker after Hasaranga, taking four wickets at an economy rate of 5.25.

Tim David comes in place of New Zealand’s Finn Allen, who along with fellow Kiwi Scott Kuggeleijn will be unavailable as they will be on national duty in Bangladesh and Pakistan.

David has represented Singapore in 14 T20Is, scoring 558 runs at an average of 46.5. He amassed 279 runs at a strike-rate of 153.29 for the Hobart Hurricanes in the 2020/21 Big Bash League. He is currently in England and scored two centuries and a half-century in his last four matches in Surrey’s run to the semi-final in the Royal London One-day Cup.

“Finn Allen and Scott Kuggeleijn have both been selected for NZ tours and they won’t be part of RCB. Kane Richardson has made himself unavailable as has Daniel Sams. So, therefore, the balance of our squad has changed dramatically,” said Hesson.

He added, “We have made a lot of purchases which opened up four-five days ago. We’ve replaced Adam Zampa with Wanindu Hasaranga. Sri Lanka’s Dushmantha Chameera has got plenty of pace. Finn Allen leaving, we have decided to strengthen our middle-order. Tim David has joined our squad. A power-play player can become straight swap for Maxwell and de Villiers.”