Virat Kohli and co. unlikely to have India training camp before IPL 2020: Report

Top India cricketers including Team India skipper Virat Kohli and former skipper MS Dhoni will have to wait for the resumption of cricket activities after reports emerged that the national camp at Motera, Ahmedabad is unlikely to take place ahead of prior to the Indian Premier League (IPL 2020) due to COVID-19 cases in the country. Indian cricketers are currently spending time with family since March after cricket activities came to standstill thanks to the pandemic.

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Update on the Team India national camp

The BCCI Apex Council had earlier zeroed in on the Motera Stadium for the conditioning camp even though the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) is yet to get any formal intimation from the BCCI. According to a report from PTI, a GCA official speaking on condition of anonymity said that there were media reports that camp will start from August 18 and go on till September 4 but GCA has no formal intimation from the BCCI till now.

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The report further states that there have been discussions on the issue that players travelling multi-city which can increase their chance of exposing themselves to a greater health risk in this present scenario and it’s only fitting that camp is put on hold for the time being. Earlier, there had been reports about the BCCI planning to organise a fitness camp of its contracted players before the IPL 2020 due to no match practice in over four months. According to a report in The New Indian Express, the BCCI wants a six-week training camp before the cricketers start taking part in any series.

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The BCCI decided to move the IPL 2020 to UAE after the ICC postponed the T20 World Cup due to COVID-19. While the IPL 2020 moves to UAE, 375 UAE corona cases of COVID-19 were officially registered, bringing the number to 59,921 on Wednesday. The health ministry issued a statement over UAE corona cases which stated that government's aim is to continue expanding the scope of testing nationwide to facilitate the early detection of Coronavirus cases and carry out the necessary treatment.

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IPL 2020: Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni set for a return to action

Fans who have been missing Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni in action will soon get a chance to see both these players as they are all set to lead their respective teams in the IPL 2020. Virat Kohli will lead RCB and MS Dhoni will lead CSK. Virat Kohli last played international cricket in March when he led the Test side in New Zealand. On the other hand, MS Dhoni has not played cricket since the 2019 World Cup and the IPL 2020 marks his comeback to the game. 

VIVO IPL schedule 2020

As per the latest reports, the VIVO IPL schedule 2020 is tentatively between September 19 and November 10 as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is set to leave for the UAE in the second week of August to kick off the preparations for the IPL 2020.

According to a report by InsideSport, the CSK are exploring the option of booking a chartered plane for the squad. Sources involved with planning in CSK told InsideSport that CSK are targeting to leave for Dubai with the entire squad by August 8 so that a training camp can be organized for them before the end of the second week. The source added that the travel plans will be finalized once they receive instructions from the BCCI. 

(COVER IMAGE: BCCI / TWITTER)