IPL 2020 to be played from 19 September to 10 November

IPL 2020

The much-awaited festival of India is around the corner and it is all set to take place in UAE. The IPL which is generally played in March-May window will be first time played during September-November window due to pandemic.

Following the IPL Governing Council meeting on Sunday (August 2), it was concluded that the matches will be played in “Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi subject to essential clearances from the Government of India,” said an official articulation.

• Key Highlights:

1. There will be 10 double-headers in total in IPL 2020.
2. Matches will start at 19:30 IST instead of the 20:00 IST which has been the norm and the afternoon ones at 15:30 IST.
3. Four matches of the Women’s T20 Challenge will take place during the IPL play-off week to be played by three teams.
4. Squad sizes unsqueezed.
5. Players can’t bid adieu to their families before August 20.
6. Other necessary protocols and instructions to be followed enlisted under SOP.
7. Sponsors remain unchanged.

• Squad size:

An IPL team consists of  25-28 players in its squad and  10-15 individuals in help staff other than the officials. Each IPL team should compose its own bio bubble after coming to UAE about a month in front of the competition.

All things considered, constraining the team could be a bone of dispute. Last time when IPL was played in UAE in 2014. Normally, franchises ease a lot of players in the season on the off chance that they aren’t a near choice in the playing XI.

Franchises in IPL 2020 will be allowed to travel with full squad strength alongside support staff. Also, extra net-bowlers will be travelling with the teams.

Also, the families of the player can travel with them as per the sources. But players might remain in complete isolation from their families.

If any player gets infected by COVID-19 during the season his replacement can be immediately announced by the team. Also, whether the player can resume the season once he cures is still not clarified.

• Schedule and Timings:

The timing of the games will be changed. Earlier when matches were held in India usual starting time for night games was 20:00 IST but it will be 19:30 for IPL 2020 which means 18:00 IST start for UAE audience. However, the doubleheader will see a start of 3:30 PM IST for the first game.

The matches, however, will be played as per the old timetable which was prepared for March-May which means the opening game of IPL 2020 will be played amongst finalists of 2019 (i.e. MI VS CSK).

• Team Departures:

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has made it clear to all the IPL franchises that no team can leave for the UAE before August 20. Earlier, there were reports that both Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians could be looking to leave for Abu Dhabi around August 10 or 12, as per the sources.

“We have been informed by a mail from the IPL 2020 GC that we can leave for UAE after August 20. So, there is no question of anyone going there before that. The diktat is pretty clear here,” news sources said.

• Sponsors:

IPL 2020 will retain all the current sponsors which include Chinese partners as well. This is quite a disappointing news for the fans as they are supporting “Boycott China”.

The people expressed disappointment on Social Media with hashtag like “#boycottipl“.

However, the GC of IPL has said that “there is no time to get new sponsors and given the current economic climate, many companies are not willing to spend a huge amount which is required. So current sponsors are retained”.

• Some Interesting Facts of IPL 2020:

1. Opener Sep 19 (Saturday).
2. Final Nov 10 (Tuesday).
3. 53-days, longest 8-team edition.
4. 10 double-headers.
5.  Afternoon games at 3.30 IST, Night games 7.30 IST.
6.  Venues: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah.
7.  Max. 24 players in the squad.
8. Unlimited Covid19 Substitutes.

Do check out the article about  “Mr IPL” i.e. Suresh Raina.

“Click to read about Suresh Raina.”

Do follow the official IPL website for all updates related to IPL: www.ipl.com