Pilot's creative announcement pleasantly surprise Mumbai Indians camp on flight en route Abu Dhabi

Mumbai Indians touched down in the United Arab Emirates on August 13, ahead of the second leg of the Indian Premier League, which starts on September 19. The five-time champions are currently serving a mandatory quarantine at the plush The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, an ultra-luxury resort, located just 20 minutes away from Abu Dhabi International Airport.

Meanwhile, the MI squad was pleasantly surprised as the pilot decided to make a creative announcement, through references of the players. The pilot welcomed the team on the flight and gave the instructions: “It is an honour to welcome you onboard. Considering the rains coming in today morning, we managed a quick start just like how Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock do for the team.”

A host of crucial players including the likes of captain Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Suryakumar Yadav are yet to join the MI team as they are involved in the ongoing Test series between India and England.

👨🏻‍✈️🇸‌🇴‌🇺‌🇳‌🇩‌ 🇴‌🇳‌🎙

𝕊𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕚𝕒𝕝 𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕔𝕖𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥 on our flight to Abu Dhabi ✈️#OneFamily #MumbaiIndians #IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/d4qxMUWCMV

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) August 15, 2021

IPL to resume on September 19 with CSK-MI clash

The 14th edition of the Indian Premier League was suspended midway through after a spate of Covid-19 cases emerged inside the bio-secure environment created for the franchises that led the BCCI and IPL governing council to postpone the league immediately. The leagueis set to resume with a blockbuster clash between the Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians on 19th September.

As per the new schedule, the Dubai International Stadium will host 13 of the remaining 31 games including the first qualifier and the final, while Sharjah will have 10 fixtures including the Eliminator and the second qualifier. The remaining fixtures will be played in Abu Dhabi.

The league phase of the tournament is supposed to run until October 8, with the first qualifier scheduled on October 10. The Eliminator, second qualifier and the final will be played on October 11, 13 and 15, respectively. At the time of the season suspension, Delhi Capitals occupied the top spot with 12 points from eight matches, followed by CSK and RCB at positions two and three, both with 10 points in seven games. Mumbai Indians follow at fourth spot, eight points from seven games.