BCCI to conduct 4 COVID-19 tests per player before permitting participation in IPL 2020

The Indian Premier League 2020 (IPL 2020) season will launch on September 19 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as recently confirmed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the IPL Governing Council. The tournament was originally intended to launch on March 29 but the ongoing coronavirus global pandemic enforced months of delay and a change in venue. It has been reportedly learned that all IPL 2020 franchises and broadcasters are awaiting Standard Operating Procedure’s (SOP) from BCCI regarding the biosecurity measures and strict guidelines their players will have to go through in the desert country.

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BCCI taking tips for biosecurity measures from ECB for IPL 2020

According to a recent report by InsideSport, the BCCI is creating strict guidelines for the IPL 2020 where players will be taking a minimum of two coronavirus tests before boarding their flights for the UAE. Also, IPL franchises will be organising their own flights for their respective players who will be undergoing two more coronavirus tests after reaching the UAE. The players will be moved out of the quarantine facility in UAE only after they are tested negative of the contagious disease.

Even when the IPL 2020 action kicks off, only a minimum number of players will be allowed in the dressing room and no one must be seen out venturing in the open. The aforementioned rules and measures are applicable for all cricketers as well as franchise officials, BCCI travelling members, ground staff, drivers and broadcast team members.

The report also indicates that BCCI interim CEO Hemang Amin recently reached out to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) officials to take tips for creating a safe bio-bubble. A BCCI source said that the ECB did a “tremendous job” by successfully hosting their recently-concluded three-match Test series against West Indies.

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VIVO IPL schedule 2020

The VIVO IPL schedule 2020 is expected to be announced on Sunday, August 2 through a teleconference meeting. The meeting will be held between IPL 2020 governing council and BCCI members. Apart from announcing VIVO IPL schedule 2020, the meeting will also confirm the status of biosecurity measures to be followed by the players at the impending T20 event in UAE.

IPL 2020: UAE corona cases

According to the most recent UAE corona cases updates, around 375 new coronavirus positive patients emerged in the desert country on July 29 to take their overall tally to nearly 60,000. Statistically, the situation is better in UAE than in India, where the positive cases have risen to over 1.5 million. For player’s safety and precautionary measures amidst the daily UAE corona cases, the BCCI will be creating the aforementioned bio-bubble which will also include IPL 2020 being played behind closed doors.

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Disclaimer: The above UAE corona cases information is sourced from various websites and media reports. The website does not guarantee a 100% accuracy of the number of UAE corona cases.

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