The fifth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is finally about to get underway after months of delay due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The tournament, which was originally set to be conducted in March, will now take place from September 19th in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and will eventually conclude on November 10th.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, this year's IPL will be different from the ones which took place over the years in front of the packed stadiums in India.
For the first time, the full tournament will be organized in the UAE but the matches will take place behind the closed doors.
We are bringing you a list of protocols which have been agreed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the IPL Governing Council for the much-awaited 13th edition of the cash-rich T20 league.
One team per hotel rule:
As per the BCCI's guidelines, all teams will stay in a separate hotel in their efforts to control the risk of a virus outbreak. It is believed that no player will be allowed to leave the biosecure bubble during the length of the competition. However, it is unclear whether the players will be allowed to keep their family members with them in the biosecure bubble.
Extreme testing protocols:
After the emergence of COVID-19, all sporting authorities have adopted a method of rapid and repetitive testing.
The IPL Governing Council has followed the same pattern where all members will have to go
The fifth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is finally about to get underway after months of delay due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The tournament, which was originally set to be conducted in March, will now take place from September 19th in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and will eventually conclude on November 10th.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, this year's IPL will be different from the ones which took place over the years in front of the packed stadiums in India.
For the first time, the full tournament will be organized in the UAE but the matches will take place behind the closed doors.
We are bringing you a list of protocols which have been agreed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the IPL Governing Council for the much-awaited 13th edition of the cash-rich T20 league.
One team per hotel rule:
As per the BCCI's guidelines, all teams will stay in a separate hotel in their efforts to control the risk of a virus outbreak. It is believed that no player will be allowed to leave the biosecure bubble during the length of the competition. However, it is unclear whether the players will be allowed to keep their family members with them in the biosecure bubble.
Extreme testing protocols:
After the emergence of COVID-19, all sporting authorities have adopted a method of rapid and repetitive testing.
The IPL Governing Council has followed the same pattern where all members will have to go through numerous numbers of tests to ensure the safety of their colleagues.
The IPL SOP's draft was quoted in a report by ESPNCricinfo where it was revealed that the governing body has recommended franchises to carry out two tests of all members before their squads depart for the UAE.
Any player or staff member testing positive will be asked to self-isolate for 14 days and he will only be allowed to depart for the UAE if his two tests resulted negative after the quarantine.
Upon landing the middle eastern country, all players and staff members will undergo another test at the airport before heading to the team hotel.
Once arriving at the hotel, all members will go through a mandatory seven-day quarantine where everyone will be tested three times.
The players will be allowed to train if all the results will come negative. During the competition, all squad members will be tested on the fifth day of every week.
If any members test positive during the competition, the individual will self-isolate outside the biosecure bubble for the recommended period.
Squad caps:
The IPL Governing Council has also announced a squad cap of 24 players for all the eight franchises in the competition.
Only three out of eight—Kings XI Punjab, Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad—had a squad strength of more than 24 players originally.
New SOPs for matchdays:
The BCCI has also implemented several new Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the matchdays. As per Indiatoday.in, players will only be allowed to train for the match if they have a 'normal temperature and health status questionnaire.'
The BCCI also followed the International Cricket Council (ICC)'s guidelines which do not allow bowlers to use saliva on the ball.
During the matchdays, squad members will be allowed to sit in the dugout area but on the designated seats.
Players and staff members who are not taking part in the match must wear the mask throughout.
No team sheets will be exchanged at the time of the toss and it will be replaced by electronic team sheets.
There will be no handshake before or after the match between the players of both teams whereas BCCI also urges the members to avoid taking showers in the stadium.
