"Lots of Zoom meetings, some fun activities" - Anil Kumble reveals quarantine plan as Punjab Kings arrive in Mumbai to begin IPL prep

A batch of Punjab Kings players and staff, including head coach Anil Kumble, arrived in Mumbai on Thursday as the IPL team began preparations for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season.

The franchise released a video of Kumble giving a message to the players as well as fans. The contingent will undergo three days of hard quarantine before their training camp can begin.

"We are really excited. Looking forward to meeting all of them. We have had a couple of exchanges of notes welcoming them. But it’s great to be here in Mumbai checking in today for a 3-day hard quarantine," Kumble said in the video.

"Really looking forward to meeting the team and everyone else and kick start the preparations for the IPL," he added.

The Indian spin legend is passionate about photography and was asked if editing his photos would be a part of his plans to bide time during quarantine.

He said with a grin that while he will spend a few hours on it, the team also has some Zoom calls and fun activities planned to keep the morale high.

"Photo editing will happen for a couple of hours but there will be lots of Zoom meetings just to keep everyone interested over the next three days. We have something planned, some fun activities, of course over Zoom. After that, just a catch-up on video calls and that’s it. After that we kick start," he said.

You can find the full IPL Coaches here.

"Wonderful to have fans back in the stadium" - Anil Kumble

Large parts of the last two seasons of the IPL were played behind closed doors, mostly in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Anil Kumble said they are eagerly looking forward to having fans back in the stands for the upcoming season.

"It’s been two years now that the IPL hasn’t seen people at the stadium. So it is wonderful to get the fans. We are looking forward to your support," he said.

He went on to add:

"I know you’ve been supportive for 14 years and this is the 15th year of the IPL and we look forward to your support for Punjab. Hopefully we will see you at the stadium come Sunday the 27th, when we kick off our IPL campaign."

IPL 2022 will kick off with defending champions Chennai Super Kings taking on the Kolkata Knight Riders on March 26. Punjab Kings will play their first match a day later when they face off against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

In 2022, they will be three IPL venues: Mumbai, Pune, and the MCA Stadium.