IPL 2020: Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians finally given green light to resume training

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Mumbai Indians (MI) must have heaved a sigh of relief when the authorities in Abu Dhabi gave in to the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) request to allow the teams to resume training for this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) after having completed the mandatory six-day quarantine period.

The development comes after the local health department enforced new regulations with effect from Thursday, making it compulsory for the players to spend 14 days in their hotel.

KKR and MI are the only two IPL franchises to set up their bases in Abu Dhabi. The other six IPL teams are in Dubai, which mandates a six-day quarantine period.

KKR and MI were left in limbo despite BCCI’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), specifying six days of self-isolation and three Covid-19 tests. KKR landed in Abu Dhabi on August 20, while MI reached their destination on August 21.

This forced BCCI officials, including IPL Governing Council chairman Brijesh Patel and acting CEO Hemang Amin, to explain their extensive guidelines and testing protocols to the local authorities.

It is understood that the BCCI was finally given the go-ahead on Thursday night, thanks to Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) chairman Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, who is also UAE’s Minister for Culture, Youth and Social Development.

IPL players will be tracked through a band

Everyone inside the bubble will further be tested every fifth day (Image Credits: Circle of Cricket)

Everyone inside the bio-secure bubbles put up by each IPL team will be constantly monitored by British firm Restrata, which has been hired by the BCCI to set all the safety measures in place.

Players’ movements will be tracked through a band that they will need to wear all the time, except for when they are on the field. The band will alert the individual if they come within six feet of another person.

Not only will this help track the movement of players but it will also help identify any breaches. Players have also been asked not to allow anyone inside their rooms.