Punjab Kings will finally have their captain, KL Rahul in the training camp in Mumbai ahead of the start of IPL 2021. Rahul arrived in Mumbai and reported to Punjab Kings camp on Friday. The Indian batsman was given few days off after the ODI series against England last week.
Rahul has been part of various bio bubbles since the start of IPL 2020 in September last year. He was part of the Indian team across all formats that toured Australia between November and January. Rahul was ruled out of the last couple of tests after suffering an injury in the training.
The most 𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙡 part of #SaddaSquad is here 😍
Tuhadda swagat hai, #CaptainPunjab 🥰#SaddaPunjab #IPL2021 #PunjabKings pic.twitter.com/lRHomRgCgp
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) April 2, 2021
Courtesy of this injury, Rahul was completing his rehabilitation at National Cricket Academy, Bangalore. After recovering from the injury, Rahul was called up for the Test series against England. He was also part of the recently concluded white ball series against England. Since it has been a gruesome schedule for him, he took a few days off before joining up Punjab Kings.
Since Rahul didn’t travel from bubble to bubble, he is likely to undergo mandatory seven-day quarantine before joining the team in outdoor training. He should be fit to play in the first game against Rajasthan Royals at Wankhede Stadium on April 12. Punjab Kings is eyeing a fast start to make sure that they qualify for the playoffs.
KL Rahul needs a strong IPL 2021 to reclaim opening spot in Indian team
KL Rahul endured a difficult T-20 series against England. He managed only 15 runs in four games against the number one ranked team in the World. The 28-year-old batsman was eventually dropped in the final T-20I, allowing Virat Kohli to open the innings for the team.
IPL 2021 is a crucial tournament for Rahul in the build-up to the T-20 World Cup in October. He needs to find back the attacking mojo at the top of the order to force back into India’s first XI. The dashing batsman from Karnataka does come into IPL 2021 after a productive ODI series against England.