'Marhaba': Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders land in UAE for IPL 2020 - in pictures

Stage set for tournament which begins on September 19

Rajasthan Royals players upon their arrival in Dubai for IPL 2020. Courtesy Rajasthan Royals twitter / @rajasthanroyals

Rajasthan Royals player Riyan Parag at the team hotel in Dubai after arriving in the UAE on Thursday for IPL 2020. Courtesy Rajasthan Royals twitter / @rajasthanroyals

Rajasthan Royals at their team hotel in Dubai after arriving on Thursday. Courtesy Rajasthan Royals twitter / @rajasthanroyals

Rajasthan Royals player Robin Uthappa at the team hotel in Dubai for IPL 2020. Courtesy Rajasthan Royals twitter / @rajasthanroyals

Rajasthan Royals players have gone into quarantine after arriving at their team hotel in Dubai for IPL 2020. Courtesy Rajasthan Royals twitter / @rajasthanroyals

Kolkata Knight Riders batsman Shubman Gill at their team hotel in Abu Dhabi for IPL 2020. Courtesy Kolkata Knight Riders twitter / @KKRiders

Kolkata Knight Riders' Rinku Singh in Abu Dhabi after landing in the UAE for IPL 2020. Courtesy Kolkata Knight Riders twitter / @KKRiders

Kolkata Knight Riders fast bowler Prasidh Krishna in Abu Dhabi. Courtesy Kolkata Knight Riders twitter / @KKRiders

Kolkata Knight Riders wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav at the team hotel in Abu Dhabi for IPL 2020. Courtesy Kolkata Knight Riders twitter / @KKRiders

Kolkata Knight Riders players arrived at their team hotel in Abu Dhabi on Thursday. Courtesy Kolkata Knight Riders twitter / @KKRiders

The 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has officially started with players arriving in the UAE over the weekend.

Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders sent the first set of players to Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively on Thursday. Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore are expected to be in the UAE on Friday.

The rescheduled season is set to be held in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi from September 19 to November 10. But before players can begin their preparations, they will be quarantined and required to pass Covid-19 tests.

A majority of players from all eight franchises are expected to be in the UAE over the next three days.

The tournament was moved to the UAE due to the health situation in India caused by the pandemic. While the IPL is set to be played in a bio-secure environment, the Emirates Cricket Board hopes fans will be allowed at the venues at some point.

“As hosts, ECB will work closely with the authorities to seek approval on what protocols need to be followed,” Mubashshir Usmani, the general secretary of the ECB, said.

“This includes fan attendance. We will then discuss with the BCCI to assess their spectator requirements.

“We want our Asian diaspora, as well as the other expat and Emirati sports-loving fans in the UAE to be able to watch the action from the stands.”

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Venues that will host IPL in UAE