Asia Cup T20: Indian cricket team to leave for Dhaka on Sunday

The Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Indian cricket team will leave for Dhaka from Kolkata on Sunday evening to take part in the Asia Cup T20 which starts on February 24.

Three of the players will have an open media session on Sunday at a plush south Kolkata hotel followed by the pre-departure media conference scheduled to be addressed by team manager Kapil Malhotra and captain Dhoni, Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) sources said.

The 15-member squad would be accompanied by Team Director Ravi Shastri, besides the retinue of support staff.

The players would be arriving in the city in batches from Saturday night.

Vice-captain Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Pawan Negi, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja and young pacer Jasprit Bumrah are slated to arrive in Kolkata on Saturday night.

Veterans Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Ashish Nehra, and leg-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will touch down on Sunday.

India will start their Asia Cup engagements on February 24 by locking horns with hosts Bangladesh.

The final is slated for March 6.

All the matches would be played at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka.