CSK will arrange a camp from August 15 in Chennai for Indian cricketers, participating in the Indian Premier League, short on practice by managing to get necessary permission and clearance from the Tamil Nadu state government.
The Indian cricketers like MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla, and others will fly into the city by chartered flights and will resume practicing a day later at the nets at MA Chidambaram Stadium before leaving for Dubai to participate in IPL on August 21.
CSK players to be tested prior to arrival at Chennai and Dubai allowed only if found COVID negative
Apart from Mumbai Indians most of whose players have arrived at Mumbai, none of the other franchises has managed to organize camps before leaving for UAE.
“The players will not have to undergo a two-week quarantine period once they are in Chennai. They will be tested two days prior to coming to Chennai and provided they are COVID-negative, they will be flown in,” sources close to the development told TOI.
The players will go straight into the team hotel allocated for them but will not be allowed to go anywhere, other than to the ground, during their six-day stay in Chennai prior to their departure for Dubai, after being tested for Coronavirus twice.
“During their stay in the city, the players will be tested twice and they will be flying to Dubai only if they are found COVID-negative,” the source added.
The Chennai Super Kings have lifted the IPL title thrice (in 2010, 2011, and 2018), and have the best win percentage among all teams in the IPL (61.28). They hold the records of most appearances in the playoffs (ten) and the Final (eight) of the IPL.
CSK Finally Got Permission From The Government And Foreign Recruits Not Allowed In The Camp
Primarily it was MS Dhoni’s idea to have a camp arranged in Chennai for the Indian cricketers who have been woefully short of practice. Everyone can understand that CSK management had been trying very hard for the last week to get the necessary permissions from the state government.
“The franchise has promised that all the protocols will be maintained and the decision-makers understood how important it is for the players to get some practice so that they can be competitive. The fact that practice for other sports has also started worked in CSK’s favour,” the source added.
However, none of the foreign recruits and the support staff of the team will be allowed in the city. It is to be noted that CSK’s bowling consultant L Balaji will be in charge of the camp. Before lockdown was imposed from March onward, there used to be a huge crowd when the Chennai Super Kings team had started practice at Chepauk.
“Of course, no one will be allowed this time and we are hoping the fans, too, will understand the gravity of the situation and ensure that there is no gathering outside the stadium or team hotel,” the source added.
IPL 2020 is all set to take place in UAE from September 19 until November 10. The tournament’s schedule is still awaited. However, the date of inception and that of the final have already been revealed.