IPL 2020: BCCI gets government's 'in principle clearance' to hold tournament in UAE

In a recent teleconference meeting between the Indian Premier League (IPL) governing council and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the two bodies stated that the IPL 2020 season will be conducted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from September 19 onwards. According to multiple media reports recently, the BCCI has been given approval by the Indian government to take the much-awaited tournament out of its home country. The decision to shift the IPL 2020 out of India was made due to a spike in COVID-19 cases in India.

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IPL 2020: BCCI gets clearance from the Indian government for IPL venue

A BCCI official recently told PTI that they have received an “in principle” approval from the Indian government for shifting the IPL 2020 out of India. The source added that they will also be getting permission in written anytime within the next few days.

IPL 2020: IPL dates and IPL venue announced

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Teams preparation for IPL 2020

A few days ago, the BCCI also released a list of biosecurity measures which will be mandatory for every player and official to follow at the new IPL venue. In light of the measures, several IPL 2020 franchises are reportedly in the middle of arranging COVID-19 tests for their players in their respective cities. The franchises will begin travelling to UAE post August 20 and players will have to undergo a quarantine phase of at least seven days before commencing practice.

IPL sponsors: IPL VIVO deal fallout

In terms of IPL sponsors, the BCCI recently decided to discontinue the IPL VIVO deal. In an official statement, the BCCI revealed that the decision to discontinue the deal was “mutual” on part of the concerning parties involved. Both the BCCI and the IPL Governing Council had been facing severe backlash for their association with VIVO, a Chinese smartphone company. The backlash comes amid the anti-China sentiment across the country post the India China standoff at the Galwan valley, where 20 Indian soldiers were martyred in June.

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Image credits: IPL Twitter