IPL 2021: Mumbai Indians to stay in plush, ultra-luxury Abu Dhabi facility

Mumbai Indians touched down in the United Arab Emirates ahead of the second leg of the Indian Premier League, which starts on September 19. The five-time champions will have to serve a mandatory quarantine at the plush The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort. The exotic resort, created by Mediterranean architecture and a luxurious interior design, is located just 20 minutes away from Abu Dhabi International Airport.

The eight-floor hotel comprises 312 rooms, 64 suites and 14 meeting rooms, with the price of stay a touch over INR 25,000 per day. Other amenities of the resort include Iridium Spa, Luxury indoor lap pool, The St. Regis Athletic Club, Outdoor pools, Private Abu Dhabi beach, Unique Meeting & Event Space, Seaside dining.

The MI’s contingent will have to undergo a mandatory 6-day quarantine before entering the bubble. Further, ahead of commencing any group training activities, all team members who will be included in the bubble will have to mandatorily undergo RT-PCR tests.

IPL to resume with CSK-MI clash

The 14th edition of the Indian Premier League, which 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, is 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.