Shreyas Iyer during the COVID-19 test
The Indian players of the Delhi Capitals squad on Saturday underwent their COVID-19 test in Mumbai before their departure for the UAE for the 13th season of the Indian Premier League.
Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad are the only two franchises yet to reach the UAE for IPL 2020.
Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers and Mumbai Indians reached on Friday evening. Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab players reached Dubai on Thursday evening while Kolkata Knight Riders landed in Abu Dhabi on the same night. The remaining two franchises will reach over the weekend.
All these players will be confined to their hotel rooms over the next six days as part of the BCCI's Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and will be tested for COVID-19 on days 1, 3 and 6. Rajasthan Royals' squad has already undergone their first testing while KXIP went for a repeat test on Friday.
IPL 2020 will begin from September 19 onwards. Delhi are is the only franchise yet to reach the IPL final. They had finished third on the table last season with nine wins in 14 games and then defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator before losing to Chennai Super Kings in the second Qualifier game. Bolstered by the likes of Ajinkya Rahane and R Ashwin, along with a few overseas stars, the franchise would like to emulate their 2019 performance and hope to reach their maiden IPL final in 2020 edition.
