IPL 2019: Very excited to be joining Virat, AB and the RCB boys, says Dale Steyn

In a desperate attempt to turn their dwindling fortunes around, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have turned to old warhorse Dale Steyn. The Royal Challengers have signed the South African legend to replace their Australian recruit Nathan Coulter-Nile who has decided to skip the tournament due to a back injury. Coulter-Nile was set to join the team late due to his international committments but could not land in India because of a stiff back.

Missing a bowler of the calibre of Coulter-Nile is definitely a big blow for the beleaguered Royal Challengers but they will be banking on Steyn to deliver the goods. The Royal Challengers will be desperate to see Steyn impressing with the ball right from the word go as they seek to turn around their fortunes. The Challengers are standing on the verge of exiting the competition at the earliest after losing all of their first six games.

Steyn is no stranger to playing in the IPL or playing for Royal Challengers. The Proteas star had started his journey in the IPL with the Bangalore-based outfit only in 2008. He played three seasons before moving to now-defunct Deccan Chargers and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Steyn, however, last played in the IPL in 2016 when he turned out for the now-defunct Gujarat Lions.

The star pacer did not find any buyer in the last auction but is now excited to be a part of the league again. Ahead of joining the team, Steyn released a message for his fans, saying that he is ‘very excited to be coming back’.

“Hello everyone, Dale Steyn here. Just a quick message to say that I will be joining the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the next couple of days for the remaining of the IPL. Very excited to be coming back to the IPL,” said Steyn in a video posted on the team’s Twitter handle.

“It has been a couple of years since I last played in the IPL and even longer since I last played for RCB.  So very excited to be joining Virat, AB and the boys,” he added.

😍😍 #TheSteynGun Fast. Ruthless. Precise. And he's ready to #BringIt!! #PlayBold @DaleSteyn62 pic.twitter.com/lzJHMcuV56

— Royal Challengers (@RCBTweets) April 12, 2019

Steyn’s stats:

One of the greatest fast bowlers of all time, the 35-year-old Steyn has managed to leave his mark in the IPL. The veteran pacer has so far played 90 IPL games and has picked up just 92 wickets.

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