All Eyes Set To IPL 2020 Tomorrow!

2020 has been really a full stop to each and every activity from personal to international level! The Covid-19 pandemic caused a complete lockdown in several countries of the world. India faced full lockdown from the 21st day of March 2020 which continued till June 1, 2020, but still, the whole nation was not opened at once but at a certain level each month. Amidst the pandemic, where novel coronavirus spread most in public, BCCI had decided to host the Indian Premier League this year also but in UAE. 

Some key points to look at:

• The tournament will begin on 19 September with the match of Mumbai Indians Vs Chennai Super Kings.
• The final of the tournament will be played on November 8, 2020. 
• “This IPL will be played behind closed doors and will not have any audience in the stadiums, to begin with. Most people will watch the matches on TV from the comfort of their homes and on digital platforms. Hence, TV and digital will be our biggest bet. TV should help us with a wide reach amongst the audience and digital medium will help us in engaging with the customers by giving them an innovative and immersive experience,” shared Srivatsa.
  
• All the players went through several Covid-19 tests after a fixed time period and were kept in quarantine when they reached UAE in AUGUST.

Families wishing to accompany players and team support staff will have to follow the same Bio-Secure Environment protocols mentioned, including:

• Testing protocols.
• Social distancing protocols with other players, other families, and team support staff.
• Wear a facemask while interacting with other players, other families, and team support staff.
• Hand hygiene.
• Respiratory etiquettes.
• Not permitted to meet anyone outside the Bio-Secure Environment.
• Sharing of food & drinks to be avoided.
• Families are not permitted to travel on the same vehicle carrying players and team support staff to the venues for training and matches.
• Families are not permitted to enter the Players and Match Official Area and field of play at any time during training and matches.
• Changing area - Just 15 players one after another in the changing area. 
• Generally, the team has a rule that has 25–28 players. This time it might be recommended to decrease it to 20.
• Franchisees can book lodgings. Lodgings can not be changed once saved. 
• Any family member who breaches the Bio-Secure protocols will have to quarantine for 7 days and return two negative PCR tests on Day 6 and Day 7, to be allowed to re-enter the Bio-Secure Environment.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has given these following strict safety guidelines for every team in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the COVID test taken multiple times to ensure safety.