Chennai Super Kings (CSK) set-up a five-day camp before leaving for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020. The camp at Chennai was joined by the local players in India, except few.
The franchise had taken Tamil Nadu government's permission and a bio-bubble was created at the MA Chidambaram Stadium to ensure the safety of players.
CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan said the idea of the pre-season camp was Dhoni's idea. The franchise left for UAE on August 21 after a successful camp at home.
"When we announced the tournament is going to happen, I had reservations about conducting the camp here because the bio-bubble had to be created. In fact, sent a message to him (asking) whether it will be worthwhile having a camp for 5 days before going to Dubai. But the captain was crystal clear in his thoughts," Viswanathan said in a YouTube video for CSK.
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"He (Dhoni) said 'sir, we have not played for nearly 4-5 months. All of us need to get together in Chennai. We should be in a bio-bubble in Chennai so that we get used to that when we land in Dubai'.
"And also it helped in the boys getting in shape. This camp, though we had some reservations, has really helped. I am very happy we were able to host the camp."
The players reunited after a long gap of five months. They had started practice sessions in March ahead of the previously scheduled date of IPL 2020. But after COVID-19 started spreading rapidly in India, players were forced to go back home.
Ambati Rayudu said the camp was helpful for players to gel up well ahead of the tournament. "To get us back into the mix, this is very, very important. Even when we go to Dubai, we have to quarantine for six days. So this is crucial," Rayudu said.
"Now everyone is on the same page. No one has played cricket for 5 months. We all are equal. I think we will be better because we have the experience," Deepak Chahar added.
Ravindra Jadeja and Harbhajan Singh couldn't join the camp because of personal commitments. The camp started on August 15 and lasted till 20.
