Sports ministry nod for IPL in UAE
MUMBAI:THE sports ministry has given permission for staging the postponed Indian Premier League (IPL) in the UAE and the union home ministry’s final clearance will come soon, it was announced in the IPL Governing Council meeting on Sunday. It paves the way for the tournament planned from September 19 to November 10 in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
“While everyone wanted the IPL to be held in India, and we explored home-ipl creating a bio-secure bubble, it wasn’t considered safe,” a BCCI official said. A plan was drawn up to stage IPL at three-four venues in Mumbai-pune and in three venues in Gujarat—rajkot, Ahmedabad and Vadodara. The proposal was sent to the government, but given the health crisis, it was not accepted.
LONGER IPL
This year, IPL will be staged four days beyond the usual 49-day window. BCCI constitution does not allow that, but it will write to the Supreme Court to make allowance this time. “The longer window is to avoid the number of double headers with the harsh weather conditions in UAE during afternoons. We will now have only 10 double headers,” the official said.
The night matches will begin at 6pm local time (7.30pm IST) to suit the needs of the broadcasters. BCCI had resisted advancing the timings as franchises preferred an 8pm start for better ticket sales. “This time the question of local spectators does not arise. The change will help the broadcasters with better ad sales as the matches otherwise get too late,” the official said.
CROWDS
At the moment, BCCI is looking to start the tournament as a closed-door event. But if the UAE government permits, a collective decision will be taken on whether to permit spectators, and how many.
The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) is hopeful spectators will be allowed.
“As hosts, ECB will work closely with the UAE government to seek approval on what protocols need to be followed; this includes fan attendance at all stadia. We want our Asian diaspora as well as the other expat and Emirati sports-loving fans to be able to watch the action from the stands,” ECB secretary general, Mubashshir Usmani, said.
SPONSORSHIPS
There were no discussions to review Chinese sponsorships. It was decided that Vivo will remain the title sponsors. Its ~2199 crore deal will stay as there were no discussions on the subject. The board is on the lookout for an associate partner as the deal with Fbb—one of three associate sponsors—has ended. Talks are on with FBB and local sponsors in the UAE to see who can come on board.
WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT TO BE HELD ALONGSIDE
India’s women cricketers will not miss out on a T20 Challenger this year, which is tentatively scheduled from November 1-10 in the UAE, the final fortnight of IPL 13. BCCI also plans to hold a training camp in October for its players, all currently confined to their homes due to the lockdown. If the health situation and government permission allow, the possibilities of holding a limited-overs series with South Africa in October will be explored.