Mumbai: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) cricketers have started assembling here for serving their week-long mandatory quarantine. All teams have to undergo quarantine ahead of the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The tournament begins April 9. The Knight Riders are two-time champions of the event.
Former IPL skipper Dinesh Karthik was among the one of the first to arrive here. He was followed by Varun Chakaravarthy, Rahul Tripathi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Sandeep Warrier and Vaibhav Arora. Support staff including assistant coach Abhishek Nayar and assistant bowling coach Omkar Salvi also arrived at the hotel Saturday.
“IT’S QUARANTIME and the #Knights are checking in for the season! The beginning of the camp is just around the corner…,” KKR tweeted Sunday.
West Indies duo of Sunil Narine and Andre Russell are expected to join soon. However, the arrival details of rest of the players are yet to be finalised.
“Look who’s on a plane to India. See you soon, big man!,” KKR wrote with a photograph of Russel wearing a mask on the flight. “The Caribbean #Knights are only a few hours away from their second home #India!,” read another tweet.
See video: https://twitter.com/i/status/1373945310117048322
As per BCCI’s guidelines, all players, support staff and management entering the bubble need to undergo seven-day quarantine. “Every individual will be tested multiple times during this period. Only after getting the necessary negative results, players will be allowed to come out of their rooms. Then they can commence outdoor training and practice session,” KKR said on its website.
“The testing will continue as per BCCI’s guidelines throughout the tournament. It is similar to how it was conducted last season in the UAE,” KKR added.
There are four players who are involved in the three-match ODI series between India and England. They are Eoin Morgan, Shubman Gill, Kuldeep Yadav and Prasidh Krishna. They will be able to join their respective franchises through a bubble-to-bubble transfer without having to serve quarantine again.
KKR finished at the fifth position on the points table with seven wins and an identical number of losses last year. They will open their campaign April 11 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Chennai.
