Former Sri Lanka player and spin legend, Muttiah Muralitharan, is excited to be representing the Royal Challengers Bangalore in this year’s edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Muralitharan, is also looking forward to play with teammates Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli, who are two of the biggest names to highlight the franchise’s squad.
After losing in the finals of the World Cup to India last year, Muralitharan, shocked the cricketing world by announcing his retirement from international cricket.
Speaking exclusively to The Times of India, he said: “After I retired from international cricket, I played a little bit of cricket in the last IPL with Kochi. I then went back to Gloucestershire, played about 16 Twenty20 matches and travelled to New Zealand played five and then went to Bangladesh for the BPL but I could not play many because after I played five I got sick. I played a little bit of cricket but not as much as other international cricketers.”
The 39 year old, who has taken an astounding 1347 wickets in his international career, hoped that he would gain some good experience by playing in the IPL once again.
However, he also said that getting a place in the top XI of the squad will not be easy, due to all the young talents coming into the tournament, who are determined to make a name for themselves.
“We have 11 foreign players and plenty of local players so it will be a big fight for the players to get a chance to play. Some players are permanent players and some are on and off” Muralitharan said.
In the first three editions of the IPL, Muralitharan represented the Chennai Super Kings, before moving to the debuting Kochi Tuskers Kerala in the fourth season of the tournament.
Muralitharan, also hopes that he can make a huge impact in the tournament, which starts next week, and play a vital role in helping the Royal Challengers Bangalore win the tournament.