Dinesh Karthik promises to ‘give it all’ as KKR arrive in Abu Dhabi for IPL 2020

Abu Dhabi [UAE], Aug 21 (ANI): Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Dinesh Karthik on Friday promised to “give it all” in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 as the franchise confirmed that their contingent of Indian players and support staff have arrived in Abu Dhabi.
“This IPL will be different. What has happened in the world has pained us deeply and it is surely a challenge to play cricket. But we understand that when we play the game, we bring happiness to our fans. Yes, there will be a bio bubble. Yes, we haven’t played or trained extensively for the last few months. Yes, the road ahead may be full of obstacles. But we promise to give it all,” KKR’s official website quoted Karthik as saying.
The franchise said that they have roped in Dr Srikanth Narayanaswamy as the Team Physician. He, along with Kamlesh Jain, team’s Head Physio, and Chris Donaldson, the strength and conditioning coach, will be looking after the squad.
Initially scheduled to start in March, the 2020 edition of the IPL was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now, the 13th edition of the IPL will be played from September 19 to November 10, across three venues in the UAE — Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Dubai.
Karthik further stated, “At KKR, we do our best to bring Joy to the city of joy. We may not be playing this year at our home Eden Gardens, but it is where our heart is. As we embark on our journey to the UAE, with slight nervousness and immense enthusiasm, we seek your (fans’) blessings. You pray for us, we will play for you. Korbo Lorbo Jeetbo.”
Spinner Kuldeep Yadav said he is “completely ready” for the competition and cannot wait to get back in action.
“Initially, it was very tough to adjust when the lockdown was imposed, because we were unable to practice outdoors. But I am completely ready now. In fact, I will be happy if there is a match in the next seven days! I can’t wait to get back in action,” he said.
Shubman Gill was equally pumped to get back on the field as he said, “I think we all are really desperate (to play) because for a long time, we were in our houses and we have only been prepping mentally. We all are really excited. I’m very excited to go out there and express myself.” (ANI)