Former Indian cricketer and current Delhi Capitals’ assistant coach Mohammad Kaif feels the players have an added advantage to recover fast during the IPL 2020 because of involvement of less travelling. The 13th edition of IPL was originally scheduled to kick off from March 29 was postponed indefinitely after April 15 due to the rising number of coronavirus cases in the nation. The postponing of the World Cup to 2021 gave the IPL a window to be conducted in September.
The IPL 2020 will begin from September 19 till November 10, a total 53-day campaign will see all the eight teams play in UAE. The venue this time is UAE and matches will be played in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah which are all close to each other and hence would be a lot less travel for the teams as compared to India.
I feel the recovery for the next game will be faster in UAE because of less travelling: Mohammad Kaif
Kaif believes one advantage of playing the IPL in UAE will be the time saved in travelling. In India, the teams have to travel across the country to play matches, while in UAE the venues are all close enough for the teams to return to the same hotels. It will help them to relax and recover better for the games.
“A major difference between the previous editions of IPL in India is that we will not be travelling a lot. In India, you are always travelling across the country, waiting at the airports, hotels etc…while here the grounds are not very far and the players are coming back to the same hotel. I feel the recovery for the next game will be faster,” Kaif told a virtual media conference.
The Delhi Capitals’ assistant coach agrees that the players will be a little rusty initially into the IPL with the gap from cricket they have faced due to the pandemic influenced lockdown.
“Yes, the quality of reflexes may have suffered a bit for the players during this lockdown and it’s going to make a big difference, at least in the initial stages of the tournament,” Kaif said.
CSK squad members test Covid-19 positive
With CSK bowler Deepak Chahar and some of the support staff testing positive of COVID-19, there is no immediate threat to the IPL. However, it will delay CSK’s training camp to early September now as the whole team will be quarantined.
According to the BCCI’s Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), all those who test positive are mandated to go through an additional 14-day quarantine. The IPL 2020 will begin from September 19 till November 10, a total 53-day campaign will see all the eight teams play in UAE.