There is just under one month left for the IPL 2020 to begin in the UAE, with the start date of September 19 approaching fast. However, there is still no sight of the final schedule for the tournament, which will comprise of 60 matches.
The delay in announcing the fixtures list - which the franchises had been told to expect by August 20 - stems from COVID-19-related travel restrictions between the emirates. A spike in Coronavirus infection in UAE has made traveling a hassle due to ramping up of mandatory checks at the border, with more time being taken in the process.
As per reports of ESPNCricinfo, the IPL Governing Council members who are in the UAE have been speaking to officials of the Emirates Cricket Board - headed by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the UAE's minister of culture, youth and social development - to try and get the matter resolved urgently.
IPL 2020: Spike in COVID-19 cases in Abu Dhabi reason for delay in schedule, says report
The plan is to host 21 of the 56 group-stage games each in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and 14 in Sharjah, with the playoffs in the first two emirates. In addition, Abu Dhabi is the base for two teams, Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians, who will have to cross the border several times.
Matt Boucher, the CEO of Abu Dhabi Cricket, believes the border issue, however, should not be too big a problem if everyone concerned follows the protocols put in place by the BCCI (for the event) and of the UAE government.
"At the border, it's either a DPI test or a PCR test, and it's purely to protect the population of Abu Dhabi. Many hundreds of people are using the border every day, and it's certainly not a hassle or an issue," he told ESPNCricinfo.
"It just has to be, of course, tailored into the event schedule with rotational testing. But the teams need to be tested in accordance with the protocols of the event, the UAE government, and the BCCI protocols for the event. And if those are in line with the testing procedures at the border, then the facilitation will take place,” he added.
UAE authorities want all team members - players and anyone else traveling into Abu Dhabi - to return negative tests 48 hours before they get to the border. After that, with VIP lanes and police escorts in place, the delay shouldn't be as much as some people fear, Boucher felt.
"If Sunrisers Hyderabad is staying in Dubai, and playing in Abu Dhabi on a Wednesday, the team rotation for that test needs to take place 48 hours before they travel to Abu Dhabi. And they can then travel seamlessly back to Dubai. It shouldn't be a sticking point,” Boucher said.
“The match schedule and the testing of the players need to be aligned. It's not an easy task, it needs to be thought out, it needs to be calculated, but the safety of the players and others is the most important thing. It's not an international border, it's a safety mechanism,” he felt.
Boucher also said that the same procedure will apply for Abu Dhabi-based teams as well.
"For example, if Mumbai is playing in Dubai on Wednesday, then 48 hours before that match they need to have the PCR test to return from Dubai. That will be facilitated by a VIP lane and Dubai police escorts and Abu Dhabi police escorts. Upon their return to the Abu Dhabi border, the police will already have all the negative test reports, and they will seamlessly come through the border via a VIP lane,” he said.
There are also murmurs of players being unhappy of playing in the desert heat with the day matches penciled in for a 2 pm start. Ten double-headers were tentatively scheduled by the IPL Governing Council when they announced the decision to shift the tournament to the UAE.
(ESPNCricinfo inputs)
