Royal Challengers Bengaluru stayed away from practice and the scheduled pre-match press conference ahead of the crucial Indian Premier League (IPL) clash against Rajasthan Royals due to security concerns.
According to Bengali newspaper Anandabazar Patrika, Gujarat Police officials had arrested four men at the Ahmedabad airport under suspicion of terrorist activities.
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It is understood that both teams were informed of the arrests. Security has been tightened at RCB's official hotel and a separate entry gate was marked for the team members.
RCB did not give this as the official reason to cancel practice and the media interaction. With the ongoing heat wave in India, the temperature in Ahmedabad hovered around 44 degree Celsius in the day and that may have also dissuaded RCB from hitting the training ground.
However, members of the Gujarat Cricket Association and the state police believe that RCB took the decision to skip practice to keep Virat Kohli under security.
"Virat Kohli learned about the arrests after arriving in Ahmedabad. He is a national treasure, and his security is our utmost priority," Vijay Singha Jwala, a police officer, was quoted as saying by the media outlet.
"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."
RCB have staged a miraculous turnaround, winning their last six league matches to sneak into the playoffs. They will take on Rajasthan Royals IPL 2024 Eliminator, which will take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Wednesday evening.
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