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IPL to be held in UAE from September 19 to November 10; Chinese sponsors retained

For the 8 franchises, the squad strength in terms of players will be limited to 24
Last Updated 03 August 2020, 02:09 IST

The Indian Premier League’s Governing Council, after reportedly receiving the nod from the Union government to host the 13th edition of the T20 league in the United Arab Emirates, announced that the tournament will commence on September 19 with the final slated for November 10.

The other crucial decisions made in the virtual GC meeting on Sunday were retaining all its sponsors, including Chinese mobile company Vivo, and the approval of Covid-19 replacements.

To help the franchises maintain the safety-bubble, the GC has also restricted the strength of a squad to 24, which some teams had objected to.

Following clashes between Indian and Chinese forces in Ladakh, the sponsorship deals with companies from the communist country had become a bone of contention. And amid calls for boycott of Chinese products from the public, the BCCI had promised to review the deals.

Another major decision approved in the GC meeting was the women’s IPL which was under cloud due to paucity of time. Under fire for the alleged neglect of women’s cricket after the cancellation of the Indian team’s tour of England, BCCI confirmed that the second edition of the WIPL will be held from Nov 1-10 in the UAE.

It has been learnt that the BCCI is still working on Covid Standard Operating Procedures for teams and players to follow during the course of the tournament.

Heeding the broadcasters demand to stretch the tournament to coincide with the Diwali celebrations, the Indian Premier League Governing Council has scheduled to the final of the 13th edition of the postponed T20 league on November 10. This is the first time in history of the tournament that the final will be held on a weekday (Tuesday).

While the BCCI was keen wrapping up the tournament a little earlier to help the Indian players leave for Australia to serve the mandatory quarantine period before getting some red-ball practice, the broadcasters wanted to cash in on Diwali festivities to rake in more revenue through advertisements. Thus the tournament will now be held from September 19 to November 10 in three venues -- Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah -- of the United Arab Emirates.

“The Indian Premier League Governing Council (IPL GC) met today via video-conference to decide on the issues concerning the VIVO IPL 2020 edition. Taking note of the prevailing Covid-19 situation in India, the GC decided to stage the tournament in the United Arab Emirates subject to necessary clearances from the Government of India,” said a release from the BCCI.

A GC member said the government’s approval letter was expected soon.

The 53-day tournament will have 10-afternoon matches commencing at 3.30 pm IST while the evening matches will begin at 7.30 pm IST instead of the regular 4.00 pm and 8.00 pm starts.

The GC said it was still working on Standard Operating Procedures. The GC restricted the strength of a team to a maximum of 24 players which the franchises would be happy with as only three teams have a squad of 25, the maximum limit prescribed at the time players’ auction.

The GC also reviewed the Player Regulations for replacement player.

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(Published 02 August 2020, 15:49 IST)

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