In what is a piece of very good news for the Chennai Super Kings fans, their 'Thala' MS Dhoni tested negative for the Coronavirus and will be joining the CSK camp in Chennai shortly before the team leaves for UAE. IPL 2020 is all set to be played in the United Arab Emirates from September 19.

Dhoni is scheduled to leave for Chennai after submitting his swab to a private hospital in Ranchi, the test of which came out to be negative. This was done as BCCI SOPs for the franchises mandated so. He has been spending time at his farmhouse in Ranchi even before the lockdown in India began in March.

IPL 2020 will be Dhoni's first cricketing assignment since India's exit from the 2019 World Cup semifinals in July. Dhoni's future in international cricket has since been the biggest talking point in world cricket.

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CSK Bowling coach Lakshmipathy Balaji will oversee the training camp of CSK players at the Chepauk, which will see the likes of Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Ambati Rayudu among others taking part. Ravindra Jadeja is a prominent name who will miss the six-day conditioning camp, that is scheduled to be held in Chennai between August 15 and 20.

Jadeja will join the CSK teammates in Chennai on the flight to Dubai on August 21. The other members of the staff, including head coach Stephen Fleming and assistant coach Michael Hussey, are likely to join the squad in Dubai on August 22.

CSK chief executive officer Kasi Viswanathan meanwhile, confirmed that they were hopeful that Lungi Ngidi and Faf du Plessis, both from South Africa, would reach the UAE after September 1. Imran Tahir will join the CSK team in UAE after completion of the Caribbean Premier League, which is scheduled from August 18 to September 10 in Trinidad and Tobago.

(India Today inputs)