BCCI gets Green Signal for UAE departure from Government for IPL 2020

• BCCI has officially got the written permission from the Central Government to stage IPL 2020 in UAE.

• The tournament is scheduled from September 19 to November 10.

• The players might leave for UAE starting from next week.

The thirteenth edition of IPL was all set to be played in March-May but the pandemic led to the suspension of league indefinitely.

Last month ICC postponed  T-20 World Cup which opened the doors for IPL 2020. Since then BCCI President and other bodies have been working seamlessly to make the tournament possible.

The green-lighting from the different wings of the focal government – including the Ministry of Home and External Affairs – is a jolt for the board, which is confronted with a few logistical and administrative obstacles to move the competition out of India in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic.

“Yes, we have received government approval. We have already issued a list of SOP (standard operating procedure) earlier. They have to follow that. We will also be having a committee (to supervise it),” said Patel.

Also, the title sponsor Vivo has withdrawn its name from this edition of IPL. Patel confirmed that the board had floated an Expression of Interest (EOI) and expressed optimism of finding a suitable replacement sponsor for this season.

The board needs to meet a Title Sponsor which can give valuation like Vivo of INR 440 Crores. 50% of this winning-bid value will be split eight ways among the franchises as per the revised revenue-sharing agreement.

“There is a lot of interest (in acquiring the IPL title rights) already, so let’s see what we get,” said Patel.

BCCI has just given the SOPs that are to be followed during the competition and all the players should cling to the rules. The board can likewise make a move against the individuals who break the conventions.

The players are probably going to go without their family members due to safety issues as just a specific number of individuals can enter the group lodgings.

A few franchises will be taking members other than the players alongside the team. This will include medical teams for daily health check-ups and the mandated COVID-19 testing of players every fifth day.

“The BCCI has said every fifth day testing in UAE but if franchises want, they can ramp up the rate. As we have said earlier, any upgrade on the SOP is welcome. However, there is very less chance of the quarantine period getting reduced (from the mandatory six days),” a senior BCCI official said.

All the teams will be starting to leave for UAE later this month but only after August 20. All the teams will also have to undergo two mandatory RT-PCR (COVID-19 tests) conducted within 24 hours from their departure base.

Also, the schedule for the matches is expected to be out soon.