IPL: Ashish Nehra to mentor for Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore

New Delhi: Recently retired India pacer Ashish Nehra who is cooling his heels in the commentary box will soon find himself on the ground when the new season of Indian Premier League starts next year.

According to reports, the 38-year-old has all but confirmed as a mentor of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), which is led by India captain and Nehra's statemate Virat Kohli.

Reports further claimed that the left-arm pacer broached the topic during Zaheer Khan’s marriage reception in Mumbai. And many believed that Kohli has played a big part in getting his fellow Delhiite on-board.

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The duo shared close to each other since the start of their respective playing career. An example of their brotherhood, many claimed, was Kohli playing an instrumental role in giving Nehra a farewell match, an honour which was denied to many legends.

Nehra got a perfect farewell match in front of home crowd at the Ferozshah Kotla on November 1 with India winning the 1st T20I match against New Zealand.

After the match, he took a lap of honour around the ground with the entire team with him.

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"A lot of people are asking me why I was retiring from the IPL, that I could easily play IPL. But when I train day in and day out, I train to play for India.

"I realise that when I retire on November 1, there are five months before the next IPL and I could easily play. I could even play another year of international cricket. But that's my decision. Once I will leave, I will leave. I won't even play IPL," Nehra had said.

In a career plagued by injuries, Nehra played 17 Tests, 120 ODIs and 27 T20Is for India, picking up 44, 157 and 34 wickets respectively.

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In IPL, he last appeared for Sunrisers Hyderabad. And he has vast experience of playing for as many five IPL teams – Chennai Super Kings, Delhi, Delhi Daredevils, Mumbai Indians, Pune Warriors, besides Hyderabad.

And the reunion with Kohli will be a huge boost to Nehra's post-retirement career. Known for his smart approach to the game, he is likely to play a big role in the RCB camp.