IPL 2020: It feels like old times, say Kolkata Knight Riders players at first team dinner in UAE

The conditions in which all the franchises are preparing for the upcoming IPL 2020 are challenging for everyone – the organisers, the players and their coaching staff.

From no cricket in over 5 months to boarding a flight and arriving in the UAE, only to be locked up in their hotel rooms for the seven-day mandatory quarantine and then spend the entire IPL season in a bio-secure bubble, the challenges are plenty.

Therefore, it was good to see the Kolkata Knight Riders players get together for the first time off the field and enjoy a team dinner together at their hotel in Abu Dhabi.

‘Was good to get together like old times’, says Kuldeep Yadav

In a video that was uploaded on the KKR website, spinner Kuldeep Yadav expressed happiness at being able to ‘get together like the old times’.

“Today we had our first get-together. It felt great to meet everyone and to be back together like old times. We do meet each other at the nets and talk a lot about cricket. But when we have such a get-together, we get to keep our minds off the game a bit,” Kuldeep said in the video.

Middle order batsman Rinku Singh, who made his IPL debut in 2017, but has only managed to play in 10 games since then, spoke about the boredom that the quarantine brought about.

“It was quite boring during the quarantine, being confined in our rooms, but today we are out for the first time with the team.”

The Kolkata Knight Riders, who have won the IPL twice before in 2012 and 2014, have a huge fan following all over the country, and will be looking to get their third title in IPL 2020.

A key player of the squad and their No. 3 batsman Nitish Rana, who scored 344 runs at a strike rate of close to 150 last season, said that it has been an prolonged phase of isolation for most players.

“It’s not really 8-10 day, but after an isolation of 6-7 months that we are getting to meet so many people. We all were really excited for this day, and were waiting for such a day where we could sit together like the previous years as a team, as a family and enjoy our time together. It happened today, and it felt really good.”

‘Such things take a mental toll on players’, says Abhishek Nayar

The quarantine has not just been challenging for the players but also the coaching staff, who also have the responsibility of checking on each member of their squad and working according to their requirements.

Abhishek Nayar, who previously donned the blue jersey of the Mumbai Indians, is now an Assistant coach with the KKR. He emphasised on the mental aspect of a situation like this.

“In tough times like these, like the Covid has been for everyone, it takes a toll on the mental side for everyone, and I just felt that today all of us sitting, talking and chatting, there is a sense of relief, that things can still be normal, even though we talk about this being the ‘new’ normal. Just to have this quality time with the boys was terrific tonight (sic).”