IPL 2020 final schedule expected soon

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is less than three weeks away now, and the final schedule is not yet announced by the BCCI. This is surely a matter of concern for the eight franchises due to play the tournament as well as cricket fans around the world.

One of the main reasons behind the delay in the announcement of the schedule is said to be the COVID scare in the CSK contingent, with as many as 13 members of the camp, including two Indian players testing positive for the coronavirus.

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With the tournament norms generally allowing the previous season’s finalists to play the opening game, the BCCI is having even more problems in finalizing the schedule as according to the norms, Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings were due to play the opening game. It is not yet clear whether the CSK’s opening match will be postponed or not.

As per a report in a leading news daily, the BCCI and the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), have now got a waiver for the IPL from the Abu Dhabi government. The report added that as a part of the waiver, the Abu Dhabi government has agreed on making exceptions for the cash-rich league, which includes partial relaxation to the 14-day quarantine period.

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Speaking to the leading news daily an ECB official said that they have obtained all the necessary permissions for the IPL matches in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah and that the teams can travel without the need of being quarantined. However, the ECB official clarified that anyone coming from outside the country will have to undergo quarantine.

With the BCCI and ECB getting the waiver from the Abu Dhabi government and the recent developments in the CSK camp reporting all the members testing negative for the coronavirus on September 1, the schedule for the much-awaited IPL 2020 is expected anytime soon.

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