Watch: CSK players 'pushing the limits' to attain full fitness ahead of IPL 2021
With just under three weeks left until the commencement of IPL 2021, the Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) players have been working hard to attain full fitness ahead of the tournament.
CSK's fitness trainer Gregory King gave a few insights into the training process that is currently taking place in Chennai. He mentioned that the CSK squad is yet to reach proper match intensity in terms of training and hopes to get there in a week's time.
"You are only a few days into the camp now. So, we probably had about 70-80 per cent of the intensity. In probably a week's time, we will be at near match intensity," Gregory King said.
The focus for CSK is to peak at the right time ahead of IPL 2021
CSK is an ageing side and the team needs to be looked after a lot in terms of fitness. Gregory King is making sure they ease into training since many of the CSK players haven't played in a long time.
'We're still a while away from the tournament. Some of the guys have also not played a lot of cricket. So, those guys tend to ease into it a little bit more gradually," King noted.
At the same time, there are a few players who have played domestic cricket before joining this camp. Gregory King revealed he has been pushing those players a little harder. At the same time, the trainer doesn't want to overdo things and is keeping the long tournament ahead in mind.
'Then there's a few other guys that have played a lot of domestic cricket. So, with those guys, we pushed them a little harder at this stage while still keeping in mind that we've got a long-ish camp here. We don't need to overdo things, we only have to make sure that we're ready when the time is right," added Gregory.
The focus, for now, has been to avoid pushing too hard and try to peak just at the right time before the tournament begins.
"The key thing is not pushing too hard, too soon before the tournament starts. We just want them peaking at the right time," the CSK trainer concluded.
CSK will play their first game of the tournament on April 10 against the Delhi Capitals (DC) as per the updated IPL schedule 2021.