With just over a month remaining before the second phase of IPL 2021 gets underway in the UAE, the Chennai Super Kings squad in India has arrived in Dubai to get their preparations underway. The T20 league was suspended earlier this year in the first week of May after players and support staff in the various bio-bubbles began testing positive for the coronavirus.
A clip shared by CSK, the former three-time IPL winners, shows their captain MS Dhoni along with his teammates leaving for Dubai with their team hotel sporting the team colours and branding.
Later in the video, Dhoni could be seen playing pool with Deepak Chahar.
Vanakkam again Dubai #UrsAnbudenEverywhere #WhistlePodu #Yellove pic.twitter.com/2wAjzwfxh3— Chennai Super Kings - Mask Pdu Whistle Pdu! (@ChennaiIPL) August 13, 2021
The second leg of the IPL 2021 is scheduled to start from September 19 when the defending champions Mumbai Indians will take on CSK at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
This is the second straight year that IPL matches are being held in the middle-east. Last year, the entire season was organised in the UAE due to the then coronavirus situation in India.
However, this time around, the league returned to India but encountered a major speed-breaker in coronavirus following which it was indefinitely suspended.
Reports emerged that the season may end up being cancelled altogether before BCCI said it’s pondering over its options to make sure the remainder of the league is finished.
The board announced earlier this year that the remaining matches will be held in UAE across three venues in Dubai. Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. A total of 30 matches will be played between September 19 and October 15 including three playoffs and the final.
When the league was suspended, Delhi Capitals were at the top of the standings followed by CSK, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians at the second, third and fourth spot respectively.
Sunrisers Hyderabad, who underwent a change in captaincy midway through their campaign, were languishing at the bottom with just one win from seven matches.
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