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The Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals players, who arrived in Dubai last week, had their first proper training session in months on Wednesday in UAE.
KXIP and Royals, who are based in Dubai, and Kolkata Knight Riders, who are in Abu Dhabi, were among the first batch of IPL teams to arrive on Thursday.
Indian Premier League 13 will see a new look Kings XI Punjab take the field, with a change in captaincy and backroom management for the franchise. Despite the changes in the team though, Kings XI Punjab captain KL Rahul will have a familiar face in the coaching staff this time around, that of former Indian captain Anil Kumble.
“To have someone like Anil Bhai around helps me immensely this season. I share a very good relationship with him off the field, coming from the same state,” KL Rahul said.
“I think he (Kumble) will make my life as captain very easy. I know that he would be doing most of the planning and I just have to go out there and carry out the plans,” added the 28-year-old.
The KXIP skipper also touched upon his team being balanced and believes that they have all bases covered after acquiring Glenn Maxwell and a few others in the auction.
To beat the searing heat in UAE, Rajasthan Royals opted to train in the evening. They tweeted, “At 10 PM IST, the Royals went to TRAIN!”
During the six-day quarantine, the players were not even allowed to step out of their rooms.
"All players who arrived here from India have cleared three rounds of testing and will start training today," a source said referring to the Royals, who will be training at the ICC grounds in Dubai.