IPL to begin on Sept 19 in UAE, players to travel 25 days prior for quarantine

With the ICC T20 World Cup being postponed. sources have confirmed that the much-anticipated IPL 2020 is all set to begin on September 19 in the UAE. The 13th edition of the cash-rich tournament, which was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be held till November 8. The franchises will travel to the Middle-Eastern country 25 days before the first match to enter the bio-secure bubble. 

Earlier, IPL Chairman Brijesh Patel had confirmed that the BCCI has sought permission from the Central government to hold the tournament in UAE. "We have sent a request letter to the concerned ministry with central govt seeking its permission to hold IPL in UAE between September end and November first week. We are hopeful things will get better and we will get a final clearance," IPL chairman Brijesh Patel had told Republic TV.  

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The seventh season of the IPL, in 2014, was held in UAE where the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) emerged as champions. A part of the tournament was held outside India due to the 2014 General elections being held at the same time. This will be the third time the IPL will be hosted outside the country.   

Despite keeping its options open, board President Sourav Ganguly has stated that staging the tournament in India is a priority. However, UAE has emerged as a likely venue for the 13th edition of the IPL. Reports have also suggested that the board has considered Mumbai-Pune as an alternative venue to stage the entire league considering the infrastructure. 

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T20 World Cup Postponed

The upcoming T20 World Cup scheduled to be held in Australia later this year has also been postponed to 2021 in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision was taken in the ICC meeting held on Monday. The ICC has zeroed down a window between October-November 2021 for the postponed World Cup with the final date being November 14.

Consequently, the T20 World Cup 2021 has also been pushed to October – November 2022 with the final on 13 November 2022 while the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 will be held in India between October – November 2023 with the final on 26 November 2023.