IPL 2020: Tournament in UAE likely to see THESE firsts as per BCCI's SOPs

After a lot of speculation, the dates for the IPL 2020 were announced by the BCCI during the Governing Council meeting last Sunday. The cash-rich league is set to commence on September 19 and end on November 10. However, the 13th edition of the tournament will not be played the same way it has been played for years.

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IPL 2020: Things that fans will miss in the 13 edition of the tournament in UAE

There are a lot of things which fans will miss from the usual IPL tournament. According to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) for the IPL 2020, franchises have been instructed primarily on eight accounts relating to testing, accommodation, social distancing at the ground and in hotels, the appointment of team doctors and several other aspects. Let's take a look at all the things that fans will miss seeing in the IPL 2020 -

• In order to ensure the safety of the player’s health, no team sheets will be shared during the toss. Electronic team sheets will be considered. There will be no official mascots walking out for the toss.
• To makes sure social distancing is maintained, we could see players not sharing the dressing room. Instead, players and support staff could be in the stands. This is not confirmed yet but it is likely to happen.
• The initial phase of the tournament will be conducted behind closed doors. These guidelines may be amended from time to time depending on the existing COVID-19 situation in the UAE.

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• No dressing room interviews will be allowed. There will be no handshakes or any contact between teams. Minimal on-field media may be present for post-match presentations, but technology may allow remote interviewing like seeing in Test matches in England recently.
• No sharing of equipment is allowed. Players and staff should only use their own equipment. Cheerleaders who add glamour to the game will not be present for IPL 2020.
• Franchise owners who breach the bio-secure protocols will have to quarantine for 7 days and come back with two negative PCR tests on Day 6 and Day 7, to be allowed to re-enter the biosecure environment. If the franchise team owners are not a part of the biosecure environment, they are not permitted to travel on the same vehicle carrying players and team support staff to the venues for training and matches.

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• Wives and girlfriends of players are not permitted to travel on the same vehicle carrying players and team support staff to the venues for training and matches. They are not allowed to enter the Players' & Match Officials' Areas (PMOA) and field of play at any time during training and matches.

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IMAGE COURTESY: INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE TWITTER