The suspended Indian Premier League 2021 season is all set to resume in the UAE, and teams have started to arrive for the September 19 restart.
Chennai Super Kings and defending champions Mumbai Indians players landed in the UAE on Friday, with Chennai setting up base at Th8 Palm in Dubai and Mumbai returning to the location they stayed at the last time the IPL was held in the UAE in 2020 - St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, Abu Dhabi.
Players went straight into quarantine and will be tested before being cleared to begin practice.
Chennai icon Mahendra Singh Dhoni is one of the main stars who has already landed in the country.
The T20 league was suspended on May 4 after a number of players and team officials tested positive for Covid-19 despite being in bio-secure bubbles in India.
Now the remainder of the league will be completed in the UAE, and will conclude just days before the T20 World Cup begins in the emirates, owing to the coronavirus situation in India.
Under the new schedule, a total of 13 IPL matches will be played in Dubai, 10 in Sharjah and eight in Abu Dhabi. The final will be held in Dubai on October 15, just two days before the T20 World Cup gets under way.
In all, there will be seven double headers to make up for the limited available time. The final game of the league stage will be played between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals on October 8. The first qualifier will be in Dubai on October 10 with the eliminator and second qualifier to be held in Sharjah on October 11 and 13.
The 2020 IPL was also postponed and was held in the UAE, with Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah as host venues.
