Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will leave for UAE on August 21 for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, said Kasi Viswanathan, team CEO, on Tuesday. Before heading for UAE, the team will attend a training camp in Chennai at the MA Chidambaram Stadium (Chepauk), said Viswanathan, while speaking with ANI, adding that Dubai will be the base camp for the three-time IPL champions. "The team will start practicing at Chepauk mostly by August 16. Dhoni and Raina, along with other team members, would arrive by August 14-15, and we would leave for UAE around August 21," he said.
The CSK CEO also confirmed that the team is planning to take 8-10 net bowlers along with them, but nothing has been finalised yet.
The 13th edition of the IPL will be played for 53 days, from September 19 to November 10, across three venues Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Dubai. The final match is scheduled to be played on a weekday, i.e. Tuesday, for the first time in the history of the T20 tournament.
On Monday, IPL chairman Brijesh Patel had confirmed that the board has got government approval to go ahead with the IPL in the UAE.
This time, both the afternoon and evening matches will be played half-an-hour earlier than usual.
"IPL 2020 will be played from September 19 and the final will be played on November 10, 2020. The 53-day tournament will witness 10-afternoon matches starting at 15:30 IST while the evening matches will start at 19:30 IST," the BCCI release had stated.
Earlier today, the Emirates Cricket Board had also confirmed that they have received official clearance from the BCCI to host the IPL 2020.
The IPL was originally slated to be played from March 29, but it was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.