Suresh Raina, Deepak Chahar, and Piyush Chawla on Saturday were among the first cricketers who left for Chennai from New Delhi to attend Chennai Super Kings’s training camp ahead of IPL 2020.
Chennai Super Kings players will be taking part in a six-day training camp, which will take place between August 15 and 20.
Raina posted a picture with teammates Deepak Chahar, Barinder Sran, and Piyush Chawla inside the flight with some of the crew members. He also thanked them and the airline for taking them to Chennai with all Covid-19 precautions in place.
Raina has been training at a sports complex in Ghaziabad along with Delhi Capitals star Rishabh Pant to prepare for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League, which will be played in the United Arab Emirates from September 19.
“Thank you so much @vistara for taking us to Chennai!!!” Raina captioned the picture.
CSK’s training camp at the MA Chidambaram stadium will also be attended by three-time IPL-winning captain MS Dhoni, who underwent a coronavirus test like his teammates and tested negative.
Dhoni needed to undergo the Covid-19 test to fulfill the SOP set by the IPL Governing Council. He has been spending time at his farmhouse in Ranchi ever since the lockdown began in India in March.
All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is the only high-profile name who will miss CSK’s training camp while bowling coach Lakshmipathy Balaji is likely to be the only member of the coaching staff present.
The other members of the staff, including head coach Stephen Fleming and assistant coach Michael Hussey, are likely to join the squad in Dubai on August 22.
Jadeja will however be reaching Chennai in time to join his teammates on the flight to Dubai on August 21.
CSK chief executive officer Kasi Viswanathan meanwhile, confirmed that they were hopeful that Lungi Ngidi and Faf du Plessis, both from South Africa, would reach the UAE after September 1. South Africa has currently sealed its borders to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 infection.
The only other South African player in the CSK franchise, Imran Tahir, will join the squad directly after taking part in the Caribbean Premier League that is scheduled to be played between August 18 and September 10 in Trinidad and Tobago.
