India captain Virat Kohli, on Monday, said that it is unfortunate to “end up here (Dubai) early” for the second leg of the IPL after a COVID-19 outbreak in the Indian camp that led to the cancellation of the fifth Test against England. He further said that he hoped for a secure bio-bubble in the league to tackle the uncertain times.

Kohli, who will be leading the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the IPL, refused to take the field along with other players after junior physio Yogesh Parmar became the fourth close-contact support staff to test positive for COVID-19.

“Unfortunate that we had to end up here early, but with COVID in place, things are very uncertain,” Kohli told the RCB’s digital media platforms.

“Anything can happen at any time. Hopefully, we’re able to maintain a good, strong, and secure environment, and have a quality IPL.

“It’s going to be an exciting phase and a very important one for us at RCB and then for the Indian team at the T20 World Cup,” the Indian captain said.

The IPL will begin on Sunday and RCB will play their first match on Monday.

For the second leg of the season, the Bangalore-based franchise added leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga and Singapore batter Tim David to their squad.

“I’ve been in touch with everyone. We’ve had discussions over the last month or so, a little longer than that with the replacements, who’s coming and who’s not. Eventually, we ended up replacing our key players with some top-quality cricketers,” the RCB skipper said.

He believes that replacement players will fit into the system perfectly.

“Our key players will be missed, and they are a part of the family, but the people coming in as well have great skill sets, especially for these conditions.

“So, I’m very excited to see them, with the whole group at practice and certainly very excited to resume a very good season that started last time around,” he said.