How Teams are Preparing for the Upcoming IPL Season in September
In August, the Indian Premier League Governing Council has announced that the IPL will still push through this year. More details were announced and now we’ve come to know that the Dream IPL 2020 will be held on September 19 until November 10 of this year. The IPL has always been held either in March, April, or May. However, the pandemic has made this impossible.
In March, many sports events were canceled or postponed. However, sports leagues were still eager to make a comeback this year as this could help boost the morale and uplift the spirits of many people during this time of crisis. Since June, sports leagues like the EPL, the NBA, and the Champions League have already made a comeback.
And so, the IPL will be back and the first match of the season will be very exciting. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI) IPL match history has always been something that fans are excited about. These two teams are two of the most successful teams in the IPL and they are also known to be great rivals.
These two teams have gone against each other for 30 times and this is the most number of times that two teams in the league have faced off. When it comes to the victories, it is the Mumbai Indians that have more in those 30 matches. Having these two teams start the season makes the opening special.
Now, it’s no secret that athletes and the people involved in sports events are concerned about pushing through the matches in almost any leagues. This is why the IPL assures them that everyone’s safety is the priority this year.
India continues to have more COVID cases in the last few weeks and the same goes for UAE. However, UAE is more likely able to pull off the bubble that England and Wales Cricket board have when they returned.
Testing is one of the most crucial and important parts of starting the season. Before everyone else gets in the bubble and even while they are in the bubble, everyone will be tested. While the bubble ensures lower risks of anyone getting the virus, this will be mentally challenging for everybody. It’s also a challenge that they have to make sure that they prepare themselves before the matches start.
Chennai Super Kings is no longer new when it comes to having to isolate themselves. The CSK’s quarantine period was extended for a week because two of their players tested positive for the virus.
CSK’s Shane Watson has been documenting his journey on his YouTube channel. He has been following the long layoff the hard way and he has also been trying different combinations in experimental nets session to see what would work best for him.
Watson recently talked about his challenges. He said, “The last two net sessions, I found it (the mental side of the game) as challenging as the technical side of things. We play eight balls before swapping with whoever I am batting with. But between the 6th, 7th, and 8th balls in that round, I am very inconsistent with the intensity in the mind. I need a really strong intent for me to trust my instincts.
If my intent is down, my ability to execute my skills will be down as well. Actually, (after) talking to Stephen Fleming, maybe I need to cut down to five or six balls. The brain is a muscle to build up again for concentration and the right intensity. In the next few training sessions, I am going to cut down to five-six balls to maintain the right intensity.”
Watson has also been relearning to throw and run. He has been training hard because after all, his team will be opening the season. He said, “I am getting my body used to doing what I need to do in the game, so that’s going be very important in the next couple of weeks in the lead up to the tournament.”
Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians have said that their inter-MI-tune up matches will help them this year as it has always helped them in the past.
The strength and conditioning coach of Royal Challengers Bangalore, which the first match will be on September 21, has said the next season will be a different challenge for everyone. He said, “It is a different challenge for all of us. Periodization is the key from this point on. Any amount of indoor work is not the same as when you hit the ground running. Now, it’s about hitting the peak at the right time. So, the right balance between skill and fitness is the key. Ideal preparation may not be possible, but smart preparation is the order of the day.”