Revealed: Who is this girl spotted in RCB dugout in today's match vs LSG in IPL 2023

All you need to know about the girl spotted in RCB dugout in today's match vs LSG in IPL 2023

The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) face off against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on April 10, 2023, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore and the audience watching on TV saw an unknown female face in the RCB dugout.

She was the only lady in the dugout and was wearing the team jersey. And now it has been revealed that she is the team’s massage therapist Navnita Gautam, who joined the RCB franchise in IPL 2020 which was held in the UAE under strict Covid regulations.

The Bangalore-based franchise announced her appointment in October 2019 and it grabbed the headlines all over the country. And the reason behind it was the lack of female support staff members in the IPL.

Before Royal Challengers Bangalore, Deccan Chargers, a now-defunct franchise that won the Indian Premier League title in IPL 2009 in South Africa had hired two female staff in massage therapists Ashleigh Joyce and Patricia Jenkins.

Navnita is based out of Canada and was born in Vancouver. Before joining RCB, Navnita had worked with the Toronto Nationals team in the Global T20 Canada. Also, the 29-year-old has served as a support staff member for the Indian Women’s Basketball Team during their Asia Cup campaign.

"Absolutely not. It’s like having 20 brothers around at all times. Slowly but surely, the transition is happening. I believe that as long as the players and support staff trust your work, gender shouldn’t be an issue as we are all healthcare professionals,” Navnita had said in an interview in 2019.

Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell power Royal Challengers Bangalore to 212/2 against LSG

Meanwhile, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) bowlers didn’t have a very good day in Chinnaswamy stadium as RCB batters had a field day. First Virat Kohli blazed in the powerplay, scoring 61 in 44 balls and adding 96 runs with Faf in 69 balls.

After his departure, Faf took over and with help of Glenn Maxwell, who made 59 in 29 balls with 6 sixes and 3 fours, took RCB to 212/2. The RCB captain remained unbeaten on 79 in 46 balls with 5 fours and 5 sixes, one of which was a 115-meter monster hit out of the stadium.