The Indian government has given the go-ahead for the Indian Premier League (IPL) to be held in the UAE.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in its all-important Governing Council meeting of the IPL has decided to hold the 13th edition of the league from September 19 to November 10. This will include 10 double headers. And the evening matches will start at 7.30pm IST (6pm UAE time).
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in its all-important Governing Council meeting of the IPL has decided to hold the 13th edition of the league from September 19 to November 10. This will include 10 double headers. And the evening matches will start at 7.30pm IST (6pm UAE time).
A BCCI official said that it was decided to take the IPL into another week and that will see the final being played on November 10. The official also said that to ensure that there is enough spacing between games considering the strict protocol that will be in place, 10 double headers had been planned.
“We have decided to go up till November 10 and so the final will be held on a weekday for the first time. Also, to ensure that there is enough gaps between games considering the travelling and the bio secure environment and keeping all these things in mind, we will have 10 double headers this season,” the official revealed.
Vivo will continue to be the title sponsor of the tournament.
24-player squad
Franchises will be allowed a 24-player squad and the IPL Governing Council has given the green light for Covid-19 replacements — franchises will be allowed to replace a player if he gets unwell during the course of the tournament.
Women’s T20 Challenge gets the nod
The IPL Governing Council has also got the approval for hosting the Women’s IPL — Women’s T20 Challenge in the UAE along with the final stages of the IPL.
“Women’s IPL will definitely happen and women’s cricket is as much a priority for the BCCI. We will add a team and make it with 4 teams,” Ganguly told India Today ahead of the meeting.
“It will be played between 1-10 November. The idea is to have a full-fledged tournament down the line once things improve. We will also do a camp for the women players and ensure they are properly prepared for the tournament,” Ganguly confirmed.
53-day window for IPL 2020
IPL 2020 will have a 53-day window as opposed to the 57-day schedule that was announced before the novel coronavirus pandemic forced BCCI to indefinitely postpone the IPL. The 13th edition of the T20 tournament missed the April-May window due to the novel coronavirus pandemic but the tournament is back after the postponement of the T20 World Cup and Asia Cup.
