With the announcement that IPL 2020 will be held in UAE from September 19 to November 10, it has become imperative for the teams to hit the ground running with a proper camp in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In fact, defending champions Mumbai Indians have started assembling slowly with most of the domestic players having arrived in Mumbai or reaching there in the next couple of days. The Indian stars are also set to join them in the next 7-8 days.
See Also: BCCI to conduct three COVID tests in a week on arrival in UAE; final SOPs in drafts
Speaking to IANS, an MI official confirmed that players have already started arriving and there is a strict protocol in place as safety remains paramount.
"The domestic players have started to arrive and they all are sent into a 14-day quarantine wherein the only time they are allowed to exit the room is when they need to get their test done. Apart from that, all facilities are being provided inside the rooms.
"The India players are also expected to come in soon and they too will go through the quarantine phase. As and when a player's quarantine period is over, he is then given the go-ahead to start training at our ground," the official stated.
When enquired about the testing part, the official explained that there will be five rounds of testing for the MI players by the time they board the flight to UAE.
"See, we have asked all the players to undergo two rounds of testing in their home city before they come to Mumbai. And here, we will do another three rounds of testing which we believe is good enough. There might be one or two cases wherein a player might not have had adequate facilities at home and managed to get just one test instead of two. But all in all, we are looking at five rounds of tests before heading to play the IPL for the players as well as the support staff," the official revealed.
Commenting on the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), the official acknowledged that these are tough times and the franchise believes in working with the BCCI to ensure smooth functioning.
"We are waiting for the SOP from the BCCI, but we do understand that these are unforeseen times and the pressure is already that much more on the board. We also have prepared our roadmap on how we are looking to approach the tournament and will integrate it with the SOP which the BCCI is expected to give us in the next couple of days. Patience is the key as nobody was prepared for such a turn of events," he remarked.
Asked about MI’s plan to leave for UAE, the official said: "Let's see. Maybe around August 21 or 22. The final date hasn't been zeroed in on as yet. We should have a clearer picture after the meeting with the IPL Governing Council."
(With IANS inputs)
