IPL 2021: KKR’s Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Tim Seifert Reach Abu Dhabi For IPL Resumption

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) trio of Andre Russell, Sunil Narine and Tim Seifert arrived in Abu Dhabi on Thursday. The three players along with analyst AR Srikkanth were tested for COVID-19 upon their arrival in the United Arab Emirates, the franchise said in a statement on its website. “The three players, along with analyst AR Srikkanth reached UAE via Malaga in Spain, where the private jet halted to refuel the aircraft. The members were tested upon arrival, and upon clearing the necessary protocols, will be allowed to come out of quarantine as per BCCI’s guidelines,” the statement read.

Russell, Narine and Seifert were playing in the recently-concluded Caribbean Premier League before making their way to the UAE.

All the three players are coming in on the back of some strong performances. Russell notched the fastest fifty in CPL history while Narine picked up 12 wickets in the tournament giving away less than 5 runs per over.

Before IPL 2021 was halted after several franchises reported positive cases within the bio-secure bubble, KKR were struggling and were placed 7th in the IPL points table with just two wins from seven games.

Ahead of the resumption of the cash-rich league, KKR suffered a massive blow as their star Australia pacer Pat Cummins opted out of the remainder of the tournament.

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The Kolkata-based franchise roped in New Zealand pacer Tim Southee as replacement for Cummins.

KKR will resume their IPL 2021 campaign against Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on September 20.