Published 20:22 IST, August 19th 2020
Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya resumes outdoor training ahead of IPL 2020
Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya resumed outdoor training ahead of IPL 2020 where Mumbai Indians will be defending their title
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Hardik Pandya is back to business once again as he was seen sweating it out and getting into the groove ahead of IPL 2020 that will be played in the UAE from September 19 to November 10 where Mumbai Indians will be defending their title. Meanwhile, this is also Pandya's first outdoor training session after more than five months. He had posted a few pictures of his indoor workout sessions on social media in the last couple of months.
Now, the younger Pandya posted an image of him running in the nets which might be a warm-up session before he finally holds the bat in his hands after a long break and plays a wide range of shots that also includes the 'Helicopter' shot. The image was captioned as 'Let's get this show on the road'.
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The star all-rounder is a part of MI's training session that is currently underway at the Reliance Corporate Park in Ghansoli, Navi Mumbai. However, the good thing about the venue is that it has a new inground set up to protect the players from the rains and the middle-order batsman is making the most of it.
All the players including the likes of skipper Rohit Sharma, premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, etc. have not had a net session in the last few months due to the COVID outbreak, but they are back at training since the past two weeks and they will be looking to sweat it out before heading to the Middle Eastern country for IPL 2020 as they look to get some much-needed match practice.
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The IPL 2020
Four-time winners Mumbai Indians will be defending their title this time around. Coming back to IPL 2020, it will also be the first time that an IPL final will be played on a weekday. The tournament decider will be played on the day of Diwali. This will be the third time that the IPL will be held outside India (after 2009, and 2014 editions) and at the same time, it will also be the second occasion after 2009 where all the IPL matches will be played abroad.
The 2009 edition was entirely held in South Africa due to the General Elections. The tournament was won by the now-defunct Deccan Chargers who had edged past the Royal Challengers Bangalore in a low-scoring thriller. The first half of the 2014 edition was held in the UAE due to the General Elections while the second half of that tournament was played in India.
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As per reports, MI will be heading to the Gulf on August 21 and Rohit Sharma & Co. will be staying at St Regis, Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi.
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(Image Courtesy: Hardik Pandya Twitter)
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20:22 IST, August 19th 2020