Defending champions Mumbai Indians have taken their COVID-19 precautionary protocols to the next level with the introduction of a special 'smart ring' -- a personal health tracking device to be worn by every member of the team, currently in UAE, for the upcoming IPL.
While the BCCI has already handed teams a bluetooth-enabled contact tracing device and asked them to fill in a daily fitness form through a Health App, the Mumbai Indians management has further strengthened their safety net with the introduction of the ring. It is done with an attempt to mitigate the silent spread of the virus by flagging potential onset symptoms.
"The ring picks up a person's vital data -- heart rate, heart rate variation, respiratory rate and body temperature among other details -- and then flags any irregular trend in advance so that asymptomatic signals can be spotted at the earliest and dealt with. The ring monitors the person's pulse, movements and temperature to present a complete picture so that helps in daily analysis. NBA (National Basketball Association) has made use of the similar ring health device," a source close to the team told ANI.
Mumbai Indians have been known to be at the top of their game when it comes to setting the trend in club sports culture and have continued to maintain the high standard of operation excellence.
In fact, when many clubs were working on how to put together COVID-19-related protocols after BCCI officially announced that the IPL will be played in the UAE, Mumbai Indians is learnt to have not only prepared its own bio-bubble and also called the outstation players at the earliest to prepare them for the tournament.
The players went through the franchise's compulsory 14-day quarantine, multiple COVID-19 tests and also were part of a brief camp in Navi Mumbai.
Even when the Mumbai Indians players travelled to UAE in a chartered flight, they took utmost preparation during the journey.
"We were all covered head to toe, with PPE, mask, face shield and even 3 pairs of gloves. It was absolutely difficult to recognise the person next to you. Quite an experience, but we realised how necessary it was for our own safety. We have families here and there can't be a safer place than the Mumbai Indians camp. It showcases how much the MI management is invested in the health and safety of its players and staff," a player said.
Mumbai Indians also arranged for a massive 15,000 sq ft team room at their team hotel in Abu Dhabi, which includes a recreational centre for players, support staff and their families.
In addition, the team has also created its own 10,000 sq ft gymnasium -- away from the hotel gym for 24x7 exclusive use of the MI family.
