Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), on Friday, unveiled their new anthem for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 but faced a backlash from a section of fans over Hindi and English-dominated lyrics. Quite a few, including former India pacer Dodda Ganesh, pointed out the lack of Kannada lines in the theme song of the Bengaluru-based franchise.
However, RCB didn’t disappoint their fans! Hours after the initial version of the fan anthem was released, the former finalists came up with a new one, this time with more Kannada lyrics. As it turns out, they had roped in young Karnataka opener Devdutt Padikkal to do the Kannada rap portion in the theme song.
The theme song starts with a shot of the golden helmet and fans cheering ‘RCB’ before Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers get the energy levels going. The Kannada rap portion, which is being well received by the RCB fans, stands out in the latest version.
The excitement around IPL 2020 is reaching its peak as the much-anticipated tournament kickstars from September 19 in Abu Dhabi with former champions Chennai Super Kings taking on holders Mumbai Indians. IPL missed the April-May window due to the novel coronavirus pandemic but the tournament was rescheduled to September-November after the T20 World Cup was postponed.
Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore will open their campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Dubai on September 21.
Earlier on Thursday, RCB captain Virat Kohli said the former finalists will play to put smiles on their fans’ faces and that there will be no dip in intensity despite playing in front of empty stands in the UAE.
Virat Kohli said there is a relaxed mood in the camp despite the restrictions due to the bio-bubble in the wake of the pandemic. Kohli said RCB have understood the importance of acceptance and not think about what they are not being able to do at the moment due to the restrictions.
“It’s very easy to think of things that we are not being able to do at this moment. But we have accepted that this is the situation we’re in, this is what we can do and things we can’t. All of us have become very relaxed in that environment.
“If we were not being acceptive, then we would be sad or upset about the surroundings or be cranky. I haven’t seen anything of that sort in the team. All of us have a smile on our faces. And there is no desperation of any sort. Personally, to me, that has been the biggest learning for me in the pandemic till now,” Kohli said.
