IPL 2020: CSK to train in Chennai before leaving for UAE

Chennai Super Kings had planned to leave for the UAE on August 12 and have a month-long training camp for the Indian Premier League 2020.

Visas and travel were not possible until the Government of India’s formal permission to move the league in the UAE. The Board of Control for Cricket in India has received the letter from the Union Government on Monday. The teams will need at least a week to prepare for their departure.

Considering the delay, the CSK management has decided to get the team together for a five-day training camp, to be held in Chennai from August 15. The players will be uniting in the jerseys with a lion’s logo after nearly five months since the CSK camp for the IPL (original schedule) was called off in mid-March due to the novel coronavirus spread.

CSK bowling coach Lakshmipathy Balaji has confirmed to the national daily Times of India that the team will have a brief practice period ahead of their flight to the UAE.

“We will look to continue from where we left off in March. The key to success in the IPL is to perform collectively. Our aim will be to regroup as a team and start our preparations. But each player will have their own different routines and formula to prepare for the tournament. The idea is to give them enough space and freedom to understand their body and find their rhythm before coming together as a group,” Balaji is reported as saying.

A specific light training plan has been chartered out for the players who have been out of action for so long. It will be important to manage the wear and tear as the players try to regain the rhythm and match fitness.

“We have to slowly get back into rhythm. It should be in a phased manner. We need to follow a routine giving equal emphasis on fitness, skill and recovery. That’s why we decided to have the camp a bit early and didn’t want to wait till we reach UAE to start practising,” the former India pacer said.

“There should be phased loading of your body. While rhythm, balance and timing are important for batsmen, things are more physical for bowlers. Managing workload of players will be crucial,” he asserted.

MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Deepak Chahar and Piyush Chawla have started training in isolations. The intensity at the team training is different.

The IPL this year will be played in the UAE at three venues – Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi – from September 19 to November 10.

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