IPL 2020: KXIP, KKR, RR Become First Three Franchises To Land Up In UAE Ahead Of Season 13

While Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab touched base in Dubai flying in their squads with a chartered flight as a precautionary measure amid the Covid-19 norms, Kolkata Knight Riders arrived a bit later in the evening at the capital city of Abu Dhabi, which also happens to be their base for the tournament.

Rajasthan Royals, Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders became the first three teams out of the 8-team IPL fold to arrive in the UAE on Thursday ahead of the thirteenth edition of the cash rich T20 league which gets underway from September 19. The arrival of the three franchises has set the ball rolling for the 2020 edition of the league to be staged in the UAE after they were speculations a many that the IPL might witness the same fate as many other sporting events around the world which had to be indefinitely  postponed due to the outbreak and persistent threat of the Covid-19 pandemic. While Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab touched base in Dubai flying in their squads with a chartered flight as a precautionary measure amid the Covid-19 norms, Kolkata Knight Riders arrived a bit later in the evening at the capital city of Abu Dhabi, which also happens to be their base for the tournament.

The Royals have arrived. ????#HallaBol | #RoyalsFamily | #IPL2020 pic.twitter.com/rXo4R1LrSm

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) August 20, 2020

Touchdown ???? Abu Dhabi????

????After a long day of travel, sanitising and maintaining strict protocols, our Indian Knights have safely checked in to their hotel Rooms in the capital city of the UAE!#IPL2020, here we come! ????@imkuldeep18 @RealShubmanGill @prasidh43 @rinkusingh235 pic.twitter.com/kONxoBDMjx — KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) August 20, 2020

All three teams posted pictures of their players and support staff before departure. The Royals squad seemed to be the most cautious among the lot with all their players fully covered in protective gear. Defending champions Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore will arrive in the UAE on Friday while the other two teams, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals, will land up in the Middle East Nation over the weekend. The players, who were already tested multiple times before departure as per the BCCI safety protocols, will now undergo a six-day isolation period with testing on day 1, 3 and 6. If they clear all the tests, they will be eligible to enter the tournament's bio-bubble and start training. Subsequently, the players and support staff will be tested every fifth day of the tournament. The 13th editon of the IPL will witness sixty games being played over 53 days across three venues -- Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. In 2014, UAE had hosted the IPL partially due to the Lok Sabha polls in India.