KKR CEO says getting players ready might be challenging, fears they might have gone 'cold'

IPL side Kolkata Knight Riders CEO Venky Mysore revealed that getting the players to regain fitness and form after the two-month-long hiatus from the sport will be a challenge for the teams. As sporting activities around the world are resuming activities, governing bodies are taking all precautionary measures to deal with the spread of coronavirus by strictly adhering to the advisories issued by their respective governments. Cricket, in India, is yet to receive the green light to resume, even as various state associations and clubs have come up with SOPs required to be followed once the game resumes as they wait for the govt's approval.    

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'Unusual times'

Calling the entire phase of the pandemic-forced lockdown 'unusual', the KKR CEO said that one of the biggest challenges identified by his support staff was to get the players ready after a two-month-long lockdown. Speaking at a webinar organized by FICCI, Venky Mysore said that his team's support staff and back staff were ready and they were holding one-to-one conversations with players to get them ready for the game despite having certain limitations such as access to the gyms. Talking about playing the tournament behind closed doors, the KKR CEO said that it provided an interesting opportunity to stakeholders as well as it removed the barrier of a cap on the number of fans who could attend the match in a stadium. 

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KKR CEO calls for use of technology 

Venky Mysore said that LED walls and high-resolution speakers should be applied in the stands during matches, through which IPL fans can have a virtual presence at the venue, by simply accessing their social media accounts at the convenience of their homes during India lockdown. The KKR CEO is of the opinion that fans will then be able to react and cheer for their favourite IPL teams in the same way they do while physically being present at stadiums. He added that in some regards, the model is applied is also applied in the United States during their football matches as well. 

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