IPL 13 begins Saturday in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma has admitted that living and practicing in the COVID-19 bio-security bubble was “mentally tough” but said “hats off to the team management” who have created amazing space for players to keep them stimulate and in good spirits in the UAE.
He is all set to captain the defending champions in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 when they start their title defense against the Chennai Super Kings on 19th September (Saturday) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
In the COVID-19 era, all the teams across the world have to follow the strict COVID-19 guidelines, leaving them to live in an isolation “bubble” with only hotel staff, their fellow competitors, and their similarly quarantined family in order to make cricket possible amid the pandemic.
Ahead of the IPL 2020 opener, Rohit told an online press conference from Abu Dhabi: “Mentally it is tough, but hats off to the team management. In our hotel, they have created some amazing space around where we can just relax, chill, spend time with your family, and relax.”
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The star opener further added, “We have been here for almost three weeks and have been in good spirits. Now it's all about preparation and getting into that game phase mode.”
Mumbai Indians — winners of a record four IPL titles — are firm favorites to win the IPL 2020, but their skipper said adapting to the UAE conditions would be crucial to their success this season.
He further added, “Not a lot of cricketers from our group have played here.”
Meanwhile, given the history of UAE pitches assisting the spinners more, MI head coach Mahela Jayawardena admitted that his spinners would have an advantage on the slow Emirates pitches.
Jayawardena added, “All our spinners are in contention and everyone has got the responsibility. Definitely they will be effective in these conditions.”
On the other hand, the MI captain also said the yorker specialist Jasprit Bumrah would also be handy in the UAE with conditions suited for reverse swing.
He signed off by saying, “Not just the spinners, but even the seamers will have a lot of assistance.”
(With AFP Inputs)