Multiple IPL 2021 franchises are opting for private airport terminals for their travels during the course of the tournament.
Unlike last season when the tournament was held in the UAE, this time it is being played at six Indian venues — Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Calcutta — making air travel imperative. But the fixtures have been drawn in such a way that no team will have to travel more than thrice after reaching their first match venue.
With spiralling number of Covid-19 cases in the country, franchises are wary of travelling through airports since there’s every chance of team members coming in close proximity with someone outside the bio-secure bubble.
Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians opted for Kalina corporate aviation terminal in Mumbai, which is near to the Santacruz domestic airport, while travelling to Chennai for their first set of matches. On landing in Chennai, they used the private terminal 6, which is part of the main airport.
“We paid for the private terminal and took the charter flight out of Mumbai to ensure health and safety of the entire contingent,” Venky Mysore, Knights’ CEO, told The Telegraph.
