The sports ministry has given permission for staging the postponed Indian Premier League (IPL) in the United Arab Emirates and the union home ministry’s final clearance will come soon, it was announced in the IPL Governing Council meeting here on Sunday. It paves the way for the tournament planned from September 19 to November 10 in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. (Full coverage of IPL 2020)
While everyone wanted the IPL to be held in India, and we explored home-IPL creating a bio-secure bubble, it wasn’t considered safe,” a BCCI official said. A plan was drawn up to stage IPL at three-four venues in Mumbai-Pune and in three venues in Gujarat—Rajkot, Ahmedabad and Vadodara. The proposal was sent to the government, but given the health crisis in India due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it was not accepted.
The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) is hopeful spectators will be allowed. “As hosts, Emirates Cricket Board will work closely with the UAE government to seek approval on what protocols need to be followed; this includes fan attendance at all stadia. We want our Asian diaspora as well as the other expat and Emirati sports-loving fans (in the UAE) to be able to watch the action from the stands,” ECB secretary general, Mubashshir Usmani, said.
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