IPL 2020: Virat Kohli reunites with RCB teammates, coaches after 7 days in self-isolation

IPL team players, support staff and franchise officials finally got out of their hotel rooms and reunited with each other on Friday, after spending 6 days self-isolating themselves in hotel rooms after reaching the United Arab Emirates last week.

Anyone associated with the IPL who arrived in the UAE from overseas had to self-isolate themselves as a precautionary measure amid the coronavirus pandemic. They have been undergoing Covid-19 tests regularly since their arrival and it will continue like this throughout the 53-day tournament.

But the players are finally out of their hotel rooms and can start training for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League, which will be played in a bio-secure bubble from September 19 to November 10.

Royal Challengers Bangalore even posted a picture of captain Virat Kohli having a chat with coach Simon Katich and Director of Cricket Mike Hesson on the beach.

“The Coach. The Gaffer. The Captain. Safe to say the leadership group is enjoying each other’s company,” RCB captioned their post.

Kohli and his teammates have been keeping themselves busy and fit by exercising in their rooms and balconies, photos and videos of which have been doing the rounds on social media ever since they reached Dubai, which will be RCB’s base.

Kings XI Punjab were one of the six teams with their base as Dubai, while Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians are the two teams whose base is in Abu Dhabi.

Kings XI Punjab was the first team which resumed outdoor training on Wednesday after completing their quarantine period. KXIP was the first franchise to arrive in UAE which is why their isolation period ended a day before the other teams.

KXIP skipper KL Rahul expressed his elatedness after having returned to training but he also pointed out that the temperatures in the country is hotter than what he is usually used to playing under.

“It (the net session) was very good. Been at home for so long so just being able to get a chance to be in the middle with the team to get a hit feels really really good,”?Rahul said in a video posted by the official Twitter handle of KXIP.

“The conditions are very very hot. Ideally I would have loved to bat in temperature much cooler. But yeah, really happy to be outdoors and to practice and to do what we love,” he added.

Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians have to undergo another seven days in quarantine to complete a period of two weeks, as described in the list of SOPs. The 2020 edition of the IPL starts of September 19 and will be played across three venues- Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.