Dishant Yagnik, the Rajasthan Royals fielding coach, did not travel with the side to the UAE after being diagnosed positive for the coronavirus pandemic. After being in isolation for 14 days, Yagnik has joined the side in the UAE. The former wicket-keeper batsman was tested positive for COVID-19, the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise had confirmed on August 12. He stayed back in India while the rest of the teammates and staff travelled to the UAE. The news was confirmed by the team on their official social media handle. "14-day quarantine, 2 negative tests, 1 fitness test. Fielding coach @Dishantyagnik77 is ready for #IPL2020," the Rajasthan Royals tweeted.
Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab were the first teams to depart for the UAE for IPL 2020 as they looked to finish their six-day quarantine and resume practice as soon as possible. The Rajasthan Royals held their first session yesterday as all the players looked to get into the groove.
Teams starting practice
Apart from Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders started practice in Abu Dhabi after the easing of their 14-day quarantine. Kolkata Knight Riders had the first session in the afternoon at the Shiekh Abu Zayed stadium while Mumbai Indians had a practice later in the evening, with the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Rohit Sharma warming up.
Royal Challengers Bangalore also began their session with Virat Kohli captioning his return on his official Instagram handle, “Been 5 months since the last time I stepped onto the field. Felt like 6 days when I got into the nets. Great first session with the boys,” Kohli wrote.
However, there is worry for three-time champions Chennai Super Kings after one player and several staff members were diagnosed positive for coronavirus. The mood in the camp has not helped by the fact that Suresh Raina, their most prolific player, will be unavailable for the entire IPL 2020 due to “personal reasons.” The schedule for the tournament has not been released and maybe teams will have to wait until the first week of September for the matches.
