IPL 2020: Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi Land In UAE, Begin Quarantine

After landing in the UAE to join the SunRisers Hyderabad squad ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, Afghanistan stars Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan have said that they will focus on fitness during their mandatory six-day quarantine. Nabi and Rashid are coming from the Caribbean islands as they were representing St Lucia Zouks and Barbados Tridents in the now concluded Caribbean Premier League (CPL). Both Rashid and Nabi will now be confined to their hotel room for six days as they undergo quarantine as a precautionary measure against the coronavirus. If the players return with three negative COVID-19 tests in this time frame, then they will join their teammates in training ahead of the tournament.

"Pretty excited to be here and joining the team. It has been a tough 6-7 months and now coming here to a different country playing the IPL. Will try my best to entertain myself and get busy with activities that make me feel fresh. After the quarantine finishes, the tournament will start immediately so I have planned on maintaining my fitness," Rashid said in a video posted on the official Twitter handle of SunRisers Hyderabad.

Talking about his plans for the upcoming IPL, Mohammad Nabi said: "I am really excited to be back with SRH, I am keen to meet each and everyone in the team. You know we just came from CPL which was a long and tough tournament with back-to-back games. I hope to sleep for three days and then hopefully will start a little bit of training in the room. We played in the CPL and there was no crowd. We did not really enjoy it without the crowd. Let's see how can we enjoy here in the IPL."

All players and team personnel are required to undergo a six-day quarantine period after landing in the UAE and everyone needs to be tested for COVID-19 thrice. Once, they all test negative for COVID-19, the players can start training in the UAE with their teammates.

The IPL 2020 will be played from September 19 till November 10 in the UAE across three venues -- Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah. Mumbai Indians will face off against Chennai Super Kings in the tournament opener on September 19 in Abu Dhabi.

SunRisers Hyderbad will take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in their first match of the tournament on September 21.

Topics mentioned in this article

Sunrisers Hyderabad Afghanistan Rashid Khan Mohammad Nabi IPL 2020 Cricket