Curran, Hazlewood join CSK contingent ahead of IPL opener

New Delhi: England cricketer Sam Curran and Australian pace spearhead Josh Hazlewood have joined the Chennai Super Kings squad ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) opening match on Saturday.

Australian and England players coming from the UK were needed to quarantine for 36 hours before they could join their teams and play in the league.

Earlier, some franchises had said that the players from both sides will not have to quarantine themselves as they would be coming from a bio-secure bubble in the UK. Curran and Hazlewood were tested negative for coronavirus on Friday and have made themselves available for the tournament opener.

“They (Curran and Hazlewood) come in tonight and will be in isolation till a test is conducted tomorrow. If they test negative, they can then be available for selection for the opening game in Abu Dhabi,” CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan had told ANI on Thursday.

CSK skipper MS Dhoni and his side saw the presence of these two stars as they left for Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi ahead of the tournament opener against Mumbai Indians.

The IPL will be played across three venues –Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah.

CSK has won the IPL thrice (2010, 2011, 2018) and now the side would be looking to add the fourth title to its kitty. The side will be without the services of Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh this year as both players opted out of the tournament due to personal reasons.

CSK was the last team to begin training as the side finally returned to the field last week after their third round of coronavirus tests.

The team had a dodgy start to their campaign in the UAE as some members of the camp tested positive for COVID-19 and the entire contingent had to quarantine themselves for longer than expected.