Krunal Pandya, Hardik pose in their ‘new travel kit’ as Mumbai Indians leave for UAE

Hardik made his MI debut in 2015, while his brother the following season. Credits: NDTV Sports

Mumbai Indians all-rounder Krunal Pandya took to social media to post a picture of himself and his brother Hardik Pandya clad in PPE kits. The picture was taken before the duo, along with the rest of the Mumbai Indians squad, were to take off for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to partake in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Along with the PPE kits, Hardik was wearing a face mask, gloves and eye protection goggles. Meanwhile, Krunal put on a face shield in addition to the other protective gears.

Krunal tweeted the picture with the caption:

“We’re getting used to our new travel kit. UAE, here we come.”

Both all-rounders are an integral part of the Mumbai Indians’ middle order. Hardik bowls fast-medium and Krunal sends down left-arm orthodox, while both can strike lusty blows with the bat.

The official Twitter account of the Mumbai Indians also posted a picture of the team members seated in a bus before boarding the aircraft. The caption of the post read:

“Two points to those who can guess all members of our #One Family present in this frame!”

Mumbai Indians, along with CSK and RCB, to reach UAE today

2019 IPL Final - Mumbai v Chennai

The Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab were among the first franchises to reach the UAE on Thursday. Apart from the Mumbai Indians, the Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore are also supposed to fly out today.

All players and support staff will have to be in isolation for six days and are required to test negative three times upon reaching the UAE before they will be allowed to join their respective team’s bio-secure bubbles. They will further undergo a COVID-19 test every fifth day.

The 13th edition of the IPL is scheduled to be played across three venues in the UAE – Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, starting September 19.