IPL 2021: Virat Kohli arrives in Chennai, to be in quarantine for seven days before joining RCB squad

Chennai, April 1: Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli on Thursday (April 1) arrived in Chennai to join his Indian Premier League (IPL) squad before which he will undergo a seven-day quarantine.

The team has already started its training camp on Tuesday (March 30) for the upcoming edition of the IPL which begins on April 9.

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"Captain Virat Kohli has arrived in Chennai," RCB said, announcing Kohli's arrival in a tweet, along with a picture of their captain wearing a mask. RCB face defending champions Mumbai Indians in the tournament opener on April 9 here.

Kohli, who has been with the RCB since the inception of the IPL in 2008, quit the bio-bubble in Pune on Monday after India's ODI series win against England. He has been part of bio-secure bubbles since the end of January, ahead of the England series, and was part of each of the four Tests, five T20 Internationals and three ODIs.

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Another star RCB player and South African batting great AB de Villiers also arrived in Chennai joined the RCB bio-bubble on Thursday. The 37-year-old cricketer, who will be performing the wicketkeeping duties for the side in the season, has been a key player for the team since he joined the franchise in 2011.

Meanwhile, RCB's head coach Simon Katich also came out of quarantine, along with pacer Navdeep Saini as the team underwent another practice session.

RCB made a re-entry into the elite four in IPL 2020, but the title eluded them as they lost to southern rivals Sunrisers Hyderabad by 6 wickets in the Eliminator. Virat Kohli and Co's quest for silverware will be on in the 14th edition of the IPL as well. The Bangalore-based franchise made some structural changes for IPL 2021 in the hope that they can go the distance this year and also made some interesting buys during the IPL 2021 Auction.