IPL 2021: Shubman Gill likely to join KKR for UAE leg

Kolkata Knight Riders batter Shubman Gill is expected to regain full fitness before the second leg of the Indian Premier League 2021 commences in the UAE. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has informed that the youngster is undergoing rehab at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru and is expected to be released for the UAE leg in time.

Gill injured his shin during the World Test Championship final against New Zealand at Southampton’s Ageas Bowl, after which he stood ruled out for the five-Test Pataudi Trophy between England and India. Upon his arrival to India, he has been training and recovering at the NCA.

As reported by Cricbuzz, Gill is working on “an Alter-G machine – an anti-gravity treadmill that reduces one’s body weight while running.”

“As Gill runs on the machine, he would have only 60 per cent of his body weight on his legs and that much less pressure on his lower body. He is said to be responding well and the intensity of his training is set to increase in the coming days. “He is not feeling pain. Gradually his workload will be increased – from slow jogging to running twice-thrice a week. We’re confident he will be fine by the IPL which is anyway a month away,” Cricbuzz reported on August 18.

IPL to resume on September 19

The 14th edition of the Indian Premier League had to be suspended midway through after a spate of Covid-19 cases emerged inside the bio-secure environment created for the franchises. In a bid to secure the health and safety of all the involved stakeholders, the BCCI and IPL Governing Council postponed the league indefinitely on May 4. Now, the league is set to resume with the Chennai Super Kings taking on 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.