Indian players to assemble in Dubai on September 4 ahead of Asia Cup

New Delhi: The 15-member Indian squad led by Suryakumar Yadav will assemble in Dubai on September 4 for the Asia Cup, which begins on September 9.

In a departure from the usually laid out convention, players will reach Dubai in a staggered manner from their respective locations unlike on other occasions when the team would first assemble in Mumbai before departure.

The decision was taken keeping logistics in mind and also the travelling convenience of the players.

"All the players will arrive in Dubai by September 4 evening and the first nets session will be held on September 5 at the ICC Academy. Factoring in the logistical convenience, the players will be allowed to fly in to Dubai from their respective cities," a senior BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

"Obviously, a few will travel from Mumbai but to ask some of the others to first come to Mumbai and then fly to Dubai doesn't make sense. In any case, Dubai is a short duration flight compared to other international flights," he added.

India will take on the UAE in their tournament-opener on September 10 before facing arch rivals Pakistan at Dubai on September 14. Their third group match will be against Oman on September 19 before the Super Four stage.

Among the Asia Cup bound cricketers, Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana are playing for North Zone against East Zone in Duleep Trophy quarterfinal which got underway on Thursday, while Kuldeep Yadav is playing for Central Zone against North East Zone.

The official replied in negative when asked whether Prasidh Krishna or Washington Sundar, who are among standbys, would travel with the main squad as net bowlers.