Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, one of the most notable omissions from India’s T20 World Cup squad, has asserted that he will be his wily, old wicket-taking self in the remainder of this year’s IPL.

Reflecting on his first training session with Royal Challengers Bangalore, Chahal said: “Obviously, the feeling was good. It was okay and I’m happy with the way I bowled at nets.

“I’m pumped up, you know, especially as we are good on the points table and we have a very good chance to go to the top of the table. And when you bowl well after a long time, you always feel good. Today I can say that the old Yuzi is back,” Chahal said on Thursday.

The 14th edition of the IPL, which was suspended in May owing to multiple Covid-19 cases in its bio-bubble, will resume in the UAE on Sunday and Chahal will be one of the many players trying to reclaim his place in the national team.

The Bangalore franchise led by Virat Kohli is currently third on the points table.

Chahal was far from his best in the first leg of the IPL in India. Despite his team playing in spin-friendly surfaces such as the one at Chepauk in Chennai, the leg-spinner struggled for rhythm and could only bag four wickets in seven matches at an economy rate of 8.26.

RCB’s director of cricket and head coach, Mike Hesson, laid out the plans for the nets, saying: “In terms of practice, we all know what the roles of all the players are.

“We’ve had all those meetings for what we’re training for. So when we go at the nets, we should be really specific about what we’re trying to get out of the sessions.”