Indian cricketers have been on hiatus since March due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. With the announcement that IPL 2020 will be played in UAE from September 19 to November 8, it is imperative for the players to hit the ground running.

Therefore, BCCI was looking to organise a training camp for its cricketers next month at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad under bio-secure environment.

However, a report published in PTI claims that the top Indian cricketers are unlikely to train at Motera prior to the Indian Premier League, keeping in mind their health and safety amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in the country.

In all likelihood, the centrally contracted cricketers except for Cheteshwar Pujara and Hanuma Vihari (who won’t feature in this year’s IPL) will be joining their respective IPL teams training camp in Dubai from the outset.

While BCCI Apex Council had zeroed in on the state-of-the-art Motera Stadium for the training camp, the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) is yet to get any official intimation from the BCCI.

"There were media reports that camp will start from August 18 and go on till September 4 but we have no formal intimation from the BCCI till now," a GCA official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

According to the report, there have been discussions on the issue that players travelling multiple cities – from their homes to Ahmedabad and then Dubai – can expose themselves to more health risk in this current scenario and it's only apt that camp is put on hold for the time being.

"In any case, where is the logic of doing a red ball camp before IPL when they are playing a completely different format," a senior IPL franchise official said.

The report also claims that a jumbo Indian squad might start their training in earnest after IPL once they reach Australia.

It will be interesting to see how Pujara and Vihari spend this time – whether they continue their individual nets in their respective cities or BCCI arranges any special session for them.

(With PTI inputs)