Mumbai: The Indian Premier League (IPL) which was originally scheduled to be held in the April May window of the World’s cricket calendar in India, will now begin in the UAE on September 19, with the final to be played on November 8. This according to the IPL chairman Brijesh Patel on Friday. The BCCI board is awaiting a green signal to host it in the UAE though. “We have written to the Indian government. We are expecting a reply soon. Once it comes in, an IPL governing council meeting will be called next week to finalize all the other details.”
One thing that went in favor of the UAE as a venue is a relaxed quarantine protocol. Currently, those traveling to the UAE after getting a negative test report who again test negative on landing won’t have to undergo quarantine. The other Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) to be followed by all stakeholders will be shared by BCCI soon.
The T20 World Cup has been postponed providing a window of opportunity to the BCCI which it has grabbed. The 51-day schedule rules out double-headers. Having two matches on the same day has become a bone of contention with the broadcasters, who are not able to leverage the afternoon matches the same way as the late evening fixtures. Even when the double-headers are scheduled, they are reserved for weekends. The same formula will be applied when the schedule is finally given shape. He denied broadcasters were unsure of meeting revenue targets in prevailing market conditions. “Everyone is excited about IPL. Even the advertising agencies are looking forward to it. I am sure there will be enough people to advertise. All the stakeholders are happy,” the former India batsman said.
The IPL Governing Council meets next week to take stock of other issues too – the home and away format for one: there are three venues in the UAE–Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Dubai–where matches can be staged. Dubai itself has two grounds; apart from the main stadium, there is also the ICC academy ground where T20 internationals of Associate Nations have been staged. Also, the modalities of expenditure, how much would be borne by the franchises, and by the board will have to be finalized. “All these issues will be decided by the governing council,” Patel said. The meeting will also decide if IPL-13 can have limited crowds, now that the coronavirus health situation is a lot better there. “We will seek the advice of the UAE government if we can have any crowds,” he said.
The teams need to train and prepare so they will have to shift base to the UAE by August 20th. Franchises are awaiting a formal announcement on IPL to confirm the availability of overseas players. England and Australia are scheduled to play a limited-overs series that is tentatively scheduled to end on September 15. The Caribbean Premier League, featuring the cream of West Indies cricketers, will finish on September 10. Flying these players to Dubai without hassles will be a challenge. “There could be a case of some player unwilling to travel due to health concerns. We will only know once the official announcement comes,” a top franchise official said.
Sources say that the BCCI is willing to foot the staging fees as it did in 2009 and 2014 when the tournament went overseas. That could assuage the concerns of franchisees, who were unhappy this year when BCCI raised the fee from R30 lakh to R50 lakh per match. Franchises through face the loss of revenue if IPL is played behind closed doors. The eight franchises made around R250 crore in gate money the last edition. BCCI does not rule out allowing limited crowds and hospitality boxes if the coronavirus situation permits. “We will seek the advice of the UAE government if we can have any crowds,” Patel said.
Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh, who plays for Chennai Super Kings, is happy IPL is finally due to happen. “I am looking forward to playing. IPL is the biggest T20 league in the world. Its good cricket has resumed. The England-West Indies Test series has also been good so far and brought cheers to the cricketing world.
“However, I’m also slightly concerned about how we all are going to deal with the situation. The COVID cases are low in the UAE, so it’s a good thing. But we will have to be very careful, not go out to meet anyone and stay put in the given bubble. It would be new and challenging. Also, we would be going there one month prior to the tournament which means we will be staying away from our families for a long time. It’s not yet clear whether families will be allowed to travel during the competition.”
