IPL in UAE: Delhi, Hyderabad last two teams to arrive on Sunday

Dubai: The challenge before the players in IPL will be to remain positive and hit the ground running as soon as the six-day quarantine gets over, says Ajinkiya Rahane, senior Indian batsman who has switched camps to Delhi Capitals this season. The Delhi-based franchise, alongwith Sunrisers Hyderabad, will be the last two teams to arrive when they jointly board a chartered Vistara flight from Mumbai on Sunday.

Both teams have moved into their respective hotels in Mumbai for a three-day quarantine. Summing up his experience during the pandemic over the last five months, Rahane said: “There is no doubt that it will be a challenging trip for everyone involved. But like everyone else, I’ve spent these last few months focusing on my physical and mental health, and taking care of my family. So the time I’ve managed to spend with them has put me in a positive frame of mind.

‘‘However, this IPL will be a very different experience for all of us, and we need to make sure that we are all very positive when we hit the ground running. The key is to take one step at a time,” said the former Rajasthan Royals captain.

Delhi, on Friday, announced JSW Group as the team’s Principal Sponsor for the upcoming season, replacing Daikin Air-Conditioning who had been the Delhi franchise’s main sponsors since 2015.

Commenting on the tie-up, Parth Jindal, Chairman and Co-Owner of Delhi Capitals said: “We at the JSW Group see this as a tremendous opportunity to step in as Principal Sponsor for the Delhi Capitals. At the JSW Group we are rapidly growing and building each of our businesses to be the best in India and the world, whether it is our flagship steel business or our other ventures in Energy, Infrastructure, Cement and most recently Paints.

‘‘The fact that JSW is rapidly increasing its consumer-facing businesses across steel, cement and paints also calls for the JSW brand to be more visible and there are few properties that garner the viewership of the IPL,’’ he said.

All of us at Delhi Capitals play together as a team and approach everything as one unit. We know people have a lot of expectations from us but our focus will be on making the most of the training sessions we get in the UAE, and recreating that fantastic team environment which made us so successful last year

- Prithvi Shaw, Delhi Capitals

Prithvi Shaw, former Under-19 India captain who will be opening for the team alongwith veteran Shikhar Dhawan, said: “We have spent the past 4-5 months dealing with this pandemic, so everyone is aware of all the do’s and don’ts. We all have been preparing mentally to live and play under such circumstances and taking all necessary precautions for our safety and well-being.”

Speaking on how his team will be approaching the upcoming season, Shaw said: “All of us at Delhi Capitals play together as a team and approach everything as one unit. We know people have a lot of expectations from us but our focus will be on making the most of the training sessions we get in the UAE, and recreating that fantastic team environment which made us so successful last year. We also have the chance to gel with the new players and then set our sights on the IPL season.”