All Chennai Super Kings squad members not placed under quarantine, with the exception of two players, had undergone yet another COVID-19 test on Thursday, with their results coming out as negative. The team will finally be kicking off their training from Friday in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the upcoming thirteenth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The two CSK players, Deepak Chahar and Ruturaj Gaikwad, who tested positive last week, are currently staying in a separate hotel and will undergo two fresh COVID-19 tests upon the completion of their two-week quarantine. They will be permitted to begin practising with the other team members only after their tests are declared as negative.
As of now, all other teams participating in IPL 2020 have begun training with the exception of CSK, who first arrived in the UAE along with the defending champions, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore, on August 21. Prior to their arrival in the UAE, the three-time IPL champions under captain MS Dhoni held a brief training camp in Chennai and were the only franchise to do so. Suresh Raina, who joined the team for the tournament in the UAE, returned back to India, due to "personal reasons", with his replacement currently being debated widely among fans. The star left-handed batsman, however, has hinted his return to the CSK squad in IPL 2020 and has told fans not to rule out his participation once again.
With all CSK players, excluding Deepak Chahar and Ruturaj Gaikwad, CSK is also looking to play in the opening game of the IPL 2020 against Mumbai Indians, thereby setting up a clash of last year's finals. As per reports, CSK has been all "game" for the tournament opener and it seems likely the two giants will indeed be squaring off against each other once again. The official schedule for the cash-rich 53-day tournament is expected to be announced later today, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly said in a statement on Thursday.
IPL 2020 is scheduled to have 60 matches and will be played across three venues in the UAE - Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah - between September 19 and November 10.
