IPL 2021: Mumbai Indians to use GPS watches in Abu Dhabi during quarantine

New Delhi, August 14: The Mumbai Indians players have been given GPS watches by the Abu Dhabi health department as they undergo six-day quarantine in their team hotel ahead of IPL 2021.

The watches will ensure that the health department can check on the movement of the team members during their quarantine period if the need arises.

"The Mumbai Indians unit has been given GPS watches which the members will have to wear for the six days of their quarantine period. It has been given by the health department after they landed in Abu Dhabi and got their COVID-19 test done in the airport. Even last year, the strictness when it came to quarantine rules was more in Abu Dhabi and you needed COVID-19 negative reports to enter Abu Dhabi from Dubai," a source told ANI.

"The Chennai Super Kings team which is staying in Dubai hasn't been provided any GPS watches by the Dubai authorities. They are undergoing COVID-19 testing on all days during the quarantine period."

The IPL 2021, which was postponed in May this year in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, will resume on September 19 in Dubai with a blockbuster clash between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians.

The action will then shift to Abu Dhabi where Kolkata Knight Riders will square off against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Sharjah will host its first game on September 24 when Royal Challengers Bangalore take on Chennai Super Kings.

In all, 13 matches will be held in Dubai, 10 in Sharjah, and 8 in Abu Dhabi. The BCCI has decided to do away with contact tracing devices for the UAE leg, starting on September 19.

The Indian board decided that Bubble Integrity Officers will do the necessary contact tracing if any player tests positive for COVID-19 in UAE.

The board has come up with a 46-page health advisory that lays down all the pointers that everyone associated with the IPL needs to follow in order to ensure the smooth functioning of the league.