Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) delay in announcement of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 schedule has frustrated the fans as well the franchises. Although the league is set to start from 19th September, there is no official statement from the Indian board about the fixtures of the tournament. Currently, the only reason which can be understood for BCCI’s delay is the surge in coronavirus cases in Abu Dhabi, one of the venues for hosting IPL.
For the smooth running of the T20 League, the board took the whole league outside India in the UAE but the unprecedented virus has marred all plans. After increasing cases in Abu Dhabi, the UAE government has made the COVID-19 test mandatory in its entry-exit points. It means the players when travelling from or to Abu Dhabi, they would have to first clear the test and then would be allowed to travel.
BCCI in talks with UAE government:
IPL Governing Council chairman Brijesh Patel and interim BCCI CEO Hemang Amin are in talks with the UAE government to give some relaxation in the COVID-19 test. According to a source, the Indian board is getting permission to do COVID tests on IPL squad members in their hotels. The reason being that if one is going from Dubai to Abu Dhabi COVID-testing is done at the border and it takes up to two-and-a-half hours. Alternately, one has to produce a certificate of a negative result of a test done within the last 48 hours.
“But you do not expect the likes of Dhoni and Kohli to stand in the queue for that long. So, BCCI is trying to get permission to do COVID tests on IPL squad members in their hotels,” a source in a franchise told IANS from the UAE.
BCCI is also considering to remove Abu Dhabi from their hosting venue. However, KKR and MI squad is based there so it will create another chaos for them and increase their expenditure.
CSK’s positive cases:
Also, the spread of the coronavirus cases in the CSK camp has warned other franchises to be more cautious with the player’s safety. It has also played a part in hindering the IPL’s scheduled announcement because CSK and MI are expected to play the opener match being the runner up and defending champion respectively. However, it is not confirmed whether the yellow army would be ready to play the match on 19th September.
All in all, the situation on all fronts is fluid, and everyone is keeping his fingers crossed.