IPL 2020: Virat Kohli, KL Rahul land in UAE ahead of T20 tournament

The players and support staff of the eight Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises have started landing in the UAE ahead of the 53-day Twenty20 League, starting from September 19 to November 10.

Team India and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli posted a picture on Twitter upon his arrival in Dubai, while four-time IPL champion Mumbai Indians shared a video of the team landing at the Abu Dhabi  airport at 1:30pm GST.

 

The Kings XI Punjab, led by K.L. Rahul, chronicled their journey in a video posted on the team's official twitter handle. Rahul, Mohammed Shami and Kings' latest recruit, Bengal fast bowler Ishan Porel, shared their travel experiences. Likewise, the Rajasthan Royals too took to social media to inform fans of their arrival.

 

The M.S. Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings left for the UAE on Friday, with the team's Twitter handle sharing pictures of players including Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Murali Vijay and Kedar Jadhav en route to the West Eastern nation.

 

As per protocol, every squad will undergo a mandatory seven-day quarantine in the team hotel. During this week every squad member will be tested three times - on days 1, 3 and 6.

 

Although the tournament schedule has not yet been finalised, the 60 matches will be played at three venues: Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. This isn't the first time that the UAE is hosting the Twety20 competition. The first 20 games of the 2014 edition were held in the UAE because of India's general elections.