Rajasthan Royals players left for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League on Thursday, scheduled to begin from September 19. Rajasthan players, including IPL veteran Robin Uthappa, adhered to all the safety measures as they arrived at the airport wearing PPE kits to leave for the UAE. The tournament was moved out of India due to the coronavirus pandemic and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to shift the 13th edition of the IPL to the UAE.
Rajasthan Royals will miss the service of their star overseas players; Steve Smith, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Jofra Archer for the first week few weeks of the tournament. England and Australia will compete in a bilateral series, starting September 4.
Rajasthan finished seventh on the points table in last year's IPL and they will be looking for a better showing under their Australian captain Steve Smith.
The Rajasthan-based franchise won the inaugural edition of the T20 league but has failed to qualify for the final since then.
Earlier in the day, Kings XI Punjab fast bowler Mohammed Shami also posted an Instagram story, revealing that players from the Punjab-based franchise have departed for the UAE.
On Wednesday, the BCCI officially announced fantasy cricket league platform Dream11 as the title sponsor for the IPL 2020.
Dream11 pipped BYJUs and Unacademy in the bidding war to win the title sponsorship rights for this year's IPL.
The upcoming edition of the IPL will be played across three venues; Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Dubai and the final will be played on November 10.