IPL 2020: Michael Hussey Expected CSK Players To Be More Rusty

Michael Hussey, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batting coach, has admitted that he expected all the players in the line-up to be a bit rustier as they are coming to play a tournament after a long span of time.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 is slated to be played from September 19 till November 10 in the UAE across three venues — Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah.

Michael Hussey Expected Players To Be More Rusty

All international cricket was put on hold since March due to the coronavirus pandemic, and only the players from England, West Indies, Pakistan, and Australia have managed to field their cricket XI as England commenced their home summer in July this year.

CSK had a shaky start to their campaign in the UAE as some members of the camp tested positive for COVID-19 and the entire contingent had to quarantine themselves for more time than expected.

“Bit of a dodgy start, we had to quarantine ourselves for a bit extra, we are on the right track now, we have our negative COVID results, boys are now training hard and are looking forward to the IPL. They are getting rid of all the rustiness and they are looking in good form. I have been really impressed with the guys, the way they have approached their training has been great, all the guys are very keen and I must admit that I expected all the guys to be a bit more rusty than they are,” Hussey said in a video posted on the official Twitter handle of CSK.

In January 2018, Chennai Super Kings appointed Michael Hussey as their batting coach after representing them from 2008-2013 and in 2015. Michael Hussey played for Mumbai Indians in 2014. In 59 matches Michael Hussey has scored 1977 runs averaging a decent 38.76 with 1 century.

Michael Hussey: One Must Stick To Rules As Dealing With Isolation Is Challenging

CSK will be led by MS Dhoni who retired recently from international cricket and consist of a batsman like Ambati Rayudu, Australian all-round opener Shane Watson, spinner all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, South African pacer Lungi Ngidi, spinner Piyush Chawla, South African spinner Imran Tahir and West Indian all-rounder Dwayne Bravo.

They will find it extremely challenging to find a replacement for Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh who have opted out citing personal reasons.

When asked about the challenges of being in a bio-secure bubble, Hussey said: “We have stuck to the rules, we have got a good bubble around us, if we stick to the rules then we should be fine. We need to mentally deal with things. I think the mental side of the game would be really important. Dealing with isolation and being stuck in a hotel will be really challenging.”

All teams have already reached UAE to take part in the upcoming tournament. CSK was the last team to begin training as the side finally returned to the field last week after their third round of COVID-19 tests as 13 staff members tested positive for the dreaded virus.

CSK will lock horns with Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2020 opener on September 19 in Abu Dhabi. For the first time in the history of IPL, the finals will be played on a weekday. The afternoon matches will start at 3.30 pm while the evening matches will commence from 7.30 pm.