Cricket New Normal: IPL Extravaganza To Hit The Screens From 19th September!
The 13th version of the Twenty20 cricket extravaganza, the
Indian Premier League (IPL 2020), is set to unfold from 19th
September 2020 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The 53-day long tournament
would see around 70 matches including practice matches during the period; the
afternoon matches would start at 3.30 pm IST and evening matches at 7.30 pm
IST. The matches are to be played in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Eight teams or
franchises will take part in the tournament: Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super
Kings, Delhi Capitals, Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers
Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore. The IPL Governing Council under the Board of
Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has recently announced Dream11, an Indian
company based in Mumbai, as the title sponsor of the IPL 2020 thanks to the
exit of the erstwhile title sponsor Vivo, a Chinese concern. As per news
reports available it has almost been decided not to have real spectators for
the mega event, because officials of both the countries have found it too risky
to have crowds inside the stadiums in view of the raging COVID-19 pandemic.
Therefore, as is known from reports, there would instead be huge LED screens in
the stadiums that can connect the fans from various places where they can watch
the live action and take part in the proceedings. Apart from those screens the
matches would hit the small television screens across the globe as per
arrangements of live telecast by the BCCI with Star Sports.
The IPL 2020 teams had started arriving at different venues in UAE from
the 20th of August 2020 thanks to the strict COVID-19 norms and new
normal cricket rules. Members of the teams arriving in Dubai were isolated at
their hotel rooms for 7 days during which they were required to undergo three
COVID tests, and only after being proven negative in the final test would they
be allowed to go for the practice sessions. On the other hand, teams arriving
in Abu Dhabi were being quarantined in hotels for 14 days as per the COVID
protocol applicable there which reportedly upset a few members of the teams.
This brings us to the issue of different protocols followed in different
venues.
Protocols followed in Abu Dhabi are stricter due to the Coronavirus
situation, and there are travel restrictions too between Abu Dhabi and Dubai or
Sharjah. For example, players traveling form Dubai or Sharjah to Abu Dhabi
would be required to undergo quick COVID tests at the internal border and only
after being proved negative would they be allowed to enter the city. Cricket
administrators have found this particular restriction not at all compatible
with the demanding situation on match days. And, because of this vexing issue
the BCCI has not been able so far to fix and announce the match schedule. As
per reports the Board or the IPL Governing Council has been mulling dividing
the tournament into two legs: most of the matches in the first leg being played
in Dubai and Sharjah where restrictions are relaxed a bit, and the remaining
matches in Abu Dhabi in the second leg.
Although the match schedule has not yet been announced in the official
IPL website, an inadvertent tweet by Rohit Sharma, captain of the defending
Champions Mumbai Indians, where he paid rich tributes to MS Dhoni, captain of
Chennai Super Kings and who retired from international cricket recently, before
facing him in the first match revealed that the first match of the tournament
could be played between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, but no clue as
yet to the venue.
Cricket fans and revelers in India are waiting eagerly for the new normal
IPL 2020 unfold in their homes in all grandeur and glitz from the 19th
of September 2020 to November 10 when the ultimate final is to be played. Since
the tournament had been taken out of India, for the second time in IPL history,
this would mean no traveling to the UAE for Indian fans. Meanwhile, Kings XI
Punjab skipper Ravichandran Ashwin had left his team and joined Delhi Capitals,
and Chris Gayle, after undergoing two COVID-19 tests and proven negative, had
arrived in Dubai to join his team Kings XI Punjab.
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