The 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the UAE has been given the green light after the Emirates Cricket Board received the official clearance to host the tournament.
The UAE was provisionally declared as the host country a few days earlier, pending a final clearance from the Indian Government. On Monday, IPL chairman Brijesh Patel confirmed that the BCCI had been provided a formal approval from India’s central government to shift the 13th edition to the UAE.
With the ECB’s confirmation of receipt of the official clearance from the BCCI on Tuesday, the final hurdle has been removed for the tournament taking place in the UAE.
His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Cabinet Member and Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, Chairman of the Emirates Cricket Board said; “We feel extremely privileged to host what could be considered the pinnacle-event of our favourite sport. The magnitude of being in a position to bring the IPL to the vast cricket-loving global community, during current events which have greatly impacted our daily lives, is one we take with extreme importance.”
“This is undoubtedly the highest-profile cricketing-event to be held in the UAE and our team will continue to support all facets (of the tournament) and work toward delivering a successful event for the enjoyment of all sports-fans; here in the UAE, in India and across the world.”
Emirates Cricket Board has today confirmed they have received the official clearance from the BCCI to host the 13th edition of the highly-popular, prestigious Indian Premier League.
— UAE Cricket Official (@EmiratesCricket) August 11, 2020
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“The UAE is well-versed in delivering successful events – sporting and lifestyle – and we remain in very close contact with the BCCI, IPL committees, the UAE Government and Ministries, our Health Authority, as well as many other entities, who are all experts in their respective fields and it is our collective intent that the tournament be played in a safe, enjoyable environment. We extend our sincere thanks to everyone who has worked tirelessly to bring the ‘IPL 2020’ to the UAE,” added Al Nahayan.
The T20 league is slated to run from September 19 to November 10 in three venues – Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. The final schedule of the tournament is yet to be announced by IPL’s governing body and is expected to be revealed in a week’s time.
This will be the second instance of the UAE playing host to the biggest T20 franchise tournament in the world. The Gulf country had earlier hosted a part of the 2014 IPL edition, owing to the tournament’s clash with the central elections in India.
The eight participating franchises are expected to start arriving in the country from August 20. Last week, the IPL governing council had sent a 16-page document to all eight franchises where it had outlined the standard operating procedure (SOP) for the tournament.
Players and team staff are to undergo five mandatory COVID-19 tests before they are cleared to enter the bio-secure bubble in the UAE. In addition to this, they will also be tested every five days of their stay in the UAE.
