South African speedster Kagiso Rabada has departed to join the Delhi Capitals franchise in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the upcoming 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, which will take place between September 19 and November 10.
Rabada had played a crucial role in turning around Delhi Capitals' fortunes in the last edition of the IPL 2019, picking 25 wickets in 12 games to help the franchise reaching the play-offs stage.
The 25-year-old, who is one of the biggest bowling sensations in the world cricket presently, will have to undergo three COVID-19 tests on his arrival to the UAE, which will be followed by a one-week quarantine after which he can join the rest of the DC squad for training in Dubai.
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Meanwhile, the hot temperature in UAE is one of the major challenges players face in the upcoming IPL 2020 and DC’s senior batsman and Indian star Shikhar Dhawan admitted the same after the team’s the maiden training session at the ICC Academy in Dubai on Saturday.
However, Dhawan said players have enough time to acclimatize themselves before the IPL 13 starts from September 19 in the UAE while saying Delhi’s all players are looking in great nick.
Dhawan said after training: “The temperature is a little warm, so there was heaviness initially but in two or three days, the sharpness will be there. The good thing is we have time. The mental preparation depends on how we think. We should not think that we are playing for a long time. The batsmen are hitting the ball nicely and the bowlers are bowling well. You need to create that energy and that's how you go into the tournament.”
