Xtra Time Web Desk: Virat Kohli led Indian team will make Th8 Palm as its base during the upcoming T20 World Cup starting next month in UAE and Oman. It is the same hotel which is currently hosting MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings for IPL 2021 second leg.
While the Indian team will play its first game on October 24 against arch-rivals Pakistan, the players are already in the UAE playing the IPL and they will be joined by the support staff in Dubai on October 2.
“The Indian team is likely to stay at Th8 Palm. The deal is yet to be finalized, but this one has been zeroed in on. As for the coaching staff, they are set to arrive around October 2 and undergo six-day quarantine before they can be a part of the T20 World Cup bubble,” sources in the know of developments told ANI.
Meanwhile, the support staff of the Indian team led by Head Coach Ravi Shastri will reach Dubai on October 2.
The T20 World Cup will begin with the Round 1 Group B encounter between hosts Oman and Papua New Guinea on October 17, with Scotland and Bangladesh, the other teams in Group B, clashing in the evening match. Ireland, Netherlands, Sri Lanka, and Namibia — making up Group A — will be in action in Abu Dhabi the next day, with Round 1 matches running till October 22.
The top two teams in each group will proceed to the Super 12 stage of the tournament, beginning on October 23. The second round of the tournament — the Super12 stage — will get underway in Abu Dhabi on October 23, with the Group 1 contest between Australia and South Africa. Group 2 will commence with a heavyweight clash between India and Pakistan in Dubai on October 24. The first semi-final will be held in Abu Dhabi on November 10. The second semi-final will be hosted by Dubai on November 11. Both semi-finals have reserve days. The final will take place in Dubai on Sunday, November 14. There is a reserve day for the final.