Kolkata: Five-time champions Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders got down to business for the Indian Premier League 2021, which will start simultaneously in Mumbai and Chennai from April 9.
While India and England will be playing the final ODI in Pune on Sunday before the players move into respective team bubbles, Zaheer Khan, Director of Cricket Operations of the Mumbai franchises, led some of their Indian players through their paces at their own training facility.
MI had also unveiled its jersey for the upcoming season of IPL on Saturday. Designed by renowned fashion designer duo Shantanu & Nikhil, the jersey captures the composition of the five basic elements of the Universe - Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Sky, each signifying the essence of the five-time champions.
Meanwhile, five players from Kolkata Knight Riders’ squad finished their mandatory seven-day quarantine at the team hotel and came out for a light training session at Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium on Friday.
Varun Chakaravarthy, Rahul Tripathi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Sandeep Warrier and newcomer Vaibhav Arora were amongst the first players to check in for the camp, along with support staff Abhishek Nayar and Omkar Salvi.
The session was held under lights with the players undergoing a light warm up session followed by some fielding and catching drills. The latter half was spent in a bit of batting and bowling with Rahul Tripathi padding up for the major part of the session and the three pacers - Sandeep, Nagarkoti and Vaibhav - along with Varun getting the chinks in their armour ironed out after seven days inside the room.
KKR’s first match of the IPL is scheduled to be played on April 11 against Sunriser Hyderabad in Chennai.
