The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 is happening after much delay due to the Coronavirus pandemic and the organizers BCCI and Emirates Cricket Board are taking every precaution possible to make sure the tournament goes smoothly.
This includes keeping all the teams, along with the support staff in a mandatory six-day quarantine after arrival in UAE. The players and staff were tested thrice during this period and are allowed to begin training in a bio-secure environment after they test negative all three times.
Now it has been reported that two franchises- Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) and Rajasthan Royals (RR), have completed their mandatory six-day quarantine and will begin their first proper training session in months on Wednesday evening, having tested negative for COVID-19 thrice.
Both the teams have opted to train in the evening to beat the heat in UAE, with both teams based in Dubai. KXIP and RR, along with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), who are based in Abu Dhabi, were among the first batch of teams to arrive on Thursday.
IPL 2020: Spike in COVID-19 cases in Abu Dhabi reason for delay in schedule, says report
Upon arrival, they were tested on days 1, 3, and 6 as per the BCCI SOPs and having cleared three tests. During the six-day quarantine, the players were not even allowed to step out of their rooms.
RR’s David Miller and KXIP’s Hardus Viljoen will join their teammates in practice after completing their quarantine having arrived only yesterday from South Africa.
“All those who flew from India on 20th and have cleared quarantine will start training today,” said a KXIP source.
Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians, and Chennai Super Kings will complete their quarantine on Thursday, having landed in UAE on Friday.
The IPL will run from 19 September to 10 November and will be played in a bio-secure environment due to the raging COVID-19 pandemic.
This is the only the second time, the entire season of the Indian Premier League is being played outside India, after 2009, when the tournament was played in South Africa due to general elections in the country.
(PTI inputs)
