IPL 2020: The Game Is On

Amidst the widespread pandemic, the heart-breaking news of M.S Dhoni taking retirement from international cricket, and the international instability, economic dip, and strained inter-country relations, there finally came an announcement which pacified the gloom to some extent and brought a smile and cheers to the faces of the many cricket fans across the country.

Indian Premier League

Yes, it was the news of the commencement of the 13th season of the Indian Premier League or IPL. Whilst the cases on the rise in India, the governing committee announced on the 6^th of September that the Indian Premier League (IPL) would be flagged-off on the 19th of September 2020 in UAE, Dubai, with the first match taking place between the Rohit Sharma led Mumbai Indians and Mahi’s battalion i.e., the Chennai Super Kings. With the news making the headlines in all the national dailies, the present BCCI president Mr. Sourav Ganguly left for UAE on the 9th of this month to take stock of the ongoing preparations for the Indian Premier League in Dubai.

CSK Issues

However, just before the BCCI finally took the lid-off the final IPL schedule, all the cricket fans were taken aback with Harbajan Singh’s decision of not playing this season. Though tweeted by him that his decision was backed-up by some family issues, the IPL fans would really miss his presence in the tournament. Not only this, but the CSK unit was also rocked by 13 cases of the dreaded disease just a few weeks back, which created an air of doubt with regard to their participation in the tournament.

Chennai Super Kings

Alongside, more recently, the news of swing bowler Deepak Chahar being Corona positive sprang up but then, all the claims were turned down by the CSK CEO Mr. K.S. Vishwanathan confirming that after rounds of COVID testing and special cardiovascular tests conducted by BCCI, the reports reassured that he tested negative for Covid-19. But nevertheless, even amidst all these, practices haven’t seen a pause, and finally, with the clouds of dilemma shedding away, the Stephen Fleming coached CSK team battled the virus and is now completely ready to fight its opponent, all afresh and rejuvenated.

Resolving The Dilemma 

There were numerous questions raised by the critics regarding the commencement of the tournament. Especially with the cases seeing a sudden steep rise in different states, the safety of the players and audiences involved was the biggest concern to be addressed. But, it cannot be denied that going by the stats, if the series scheduled in April-May had not got the go-ahead then the board would have faced a loss of around Rs. 4000 Crore which would add to the huge losses already being incurred due to the present situation.

The IPL Team Budgeting

In addition, with the onset of the pandemic, the players across all the teams, too, incurred losses as several tournaments got postponed or canceled, and thence, canceling the IPL would only make the situation worse. Thus, the BCCI in its recurrent meets came out with the idea of holding it in UAE and simultaneously make sure that stringent safety guidelines were followed by all the franchises.

Safety Measures For IPL Teams

In an attempt to guarantee safety, these players and support staff were sent on a period of 7-14 days of quarantine, with each person being compulsorily tested before he/she left for UAE. Even after reaching there, the teams would be undergoing a 14-day quarantine period in Abu Dhabi and a 6-day quarantine in Dubai, so as to be doubly sure of the safety of the players and staff, in general.

Let The IPL Game Begin

Besides, flu shots were given, Arogya Setu and Alhosn app were downloaded, bio-secure bubble/areas being created, kits being sanitized a number of times, Oura ring being provided and whatnot, all the measures are being ensured and enforced to keep the virus in check.

Also, no audience would be allowed to view the match except the accompanying family members (if any), but that too after passing through layers of tests and safety measures.

Thus amidst the widespread pandemic, although with the situation intensifying, such matches and tournaments are sure to bring some relief to the spectators and the work-from-home associates.

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