Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad have departed for UAE for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League. The Indian players of the franchises left the country on Sunday after assembling in Mumbai. They took their Covid-19 tests a day before leaving for UAE. After the reports came back negative, the entire unit of players and coaches boarded the plane. All the IPL teams have now departed for UAE.
Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, and Kings XI Punjab have already reached the UAE for the upcoming edition of the IPL.
As per the Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs), the BCCI has already told the franchises that the players have to undergo a mandatory seven-day quarantine period after arriving in the UAE.
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“We are all really excited that cricket is back, and that the team is together again. It is like meeting your own family, meeting your long lost friends. So it is just a really overwhelming phase for all of us,” said CEO Dhiraj Malhotra on meeting the squad.
“Finally we are travelling and looking forward to getting to Dubai and isolating for a week. We will be undergoing three more tests, and hopefully everyone’s reports will come out negative, and then we can get back on to the field to start practicing,” assistant coach Mohammad Kaif said.
{{/usCountry}}“Finally we are travelling and looking forward to getting to Dubai and isolating for a week. We will be undergoing three more tests, and hopefully everyone’s reports will come out negative, and then we can get back on to the field to start practicing,” assistant coach Mohammad Kaif said.
{{/usCountry}}As per SOPs issued by the BCCI, the players have to undergo RT-PCR tests on Day 1, 3, and 6 of the quarantine phase and then they will be entering the bio-bubble provided they test negative on all three occasions.
The 13th edition of the IPL will be played for 53 days, from September 19 to November 10, across three venues -- Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Dubai.
The final match is scheduled to be played on a weekday, i.e. Tuesday, for the first time in the history of the T20 tournament.
This time, both the afternoon and evening matches will be played half-an-hour earlier than usual.
(with ANI inputs)