IPL 2020: RCB to come out of quarantine on August 27; set to kick-off training

Mike Hesson and Simon Katich are all set to kick-off training and preparations for team Royal Challengers Bangalore ahead of the 13th season of IPL within the bio-secure environment from 27th August once the team is out of quarantine. The team is committed to a safe and healthy tournament and sets it as a top priority.

Talking about the challenges for the season, Mike Hesson – Director of Cricket Operations, RCB said, “Players have spent the last few months in a variety of environments and are therefore in different stages of fitness and training, and hence a singular training approach is not the best route to start getting ready for the season.

Our Support Staff team will continue working in a way that is flexible and offers personalized support. We have a highly-skilled Support Staff team to nurture the players mentally, physically, and emotionally to assist each player’s preparation so they are ready to play their best cricket.”

Simon Katich, Head Coach, Royal Challengers Bangalore, said

Given the unique circumstances, COVID-19 has presented to everyone worldwide we are just extremely grateful to be in a position that we can get back to putting on a show for IPL in the UAE. Our preparations have revolved around giving the players at least 3 weeks to get back into the routine of training their skills and getting their bodies ready for the competition so they can build up gradually and try to minimise any injuries.

We have several split- group sessions planned initially to help give the batsmen plenty of time getting volume in after such a long layoff. It also ties into helping mitigate any risks with Covid by not having the full squad training all at once either. Once everyone has got their touch and rhythm back with bat and ball, we will move into more competitive training before the scheduled practice matches and the start of the tournament.

The team starts off a three-week camp at the ICC Cricket Academy and will undergo strenuous training and practice to gradually build up into the demands of playing with the extreme heat in UAE.