IPL 2020 : Rajasthan Royals ‘Inside Story’ releases today, Catch it on Jio TV

Speaking at a virtual interactive session following a private screening of the documentary ‘The Inside Story: A season with Rajasthan Royals,’ an intimate look at the Royals’ campaign in the IPL last year, Smith said it would be definitely not easy to come out of such a long break from the game. ‘‘The last time I played a competitive game was way back in February. However, the situation will be more or less the same for all teams and I can tell you that the players are jumping to get out of their skins to get some action,’’ he said.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is looking at a window from September 19 to November 8 for the 13th edition of the money-spinning IPL in the UAE, where the international venues in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah are expected to host the matches. A final call will be taken only after the IPL Governing Council meeting on Sunday, which is also awaiting the clearance from the Indian government to shift the tournament overseas due to the spiralling COVID-19 cases in India.

A number of the franchises are looking to arrive in the UAE at least three to four weeks earlier than the start of the tournament for the players to have an acclimatisation camp. However, Smith, alongwith his Australian teammates involved in the IPL can join only by the third week of September after their white ball series ends against England.

Asked if a series against England will help him and his ilk in preparation for the IPL, Smith said it would be a huge plus to play such a quality side after a big lull in the game. ‘‘I will be playing against a few of my Rajasthan teammates in the series and hopefully, my teammates in England shouldn’t score too many runs or take too many wickets against us. They should rather reserve it for the IPL,’’ he said in zest.