The much-awaited Indian Premier League (IPL 2020) will start in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 19 September and its finals will be played on 8 November. IPL chairman Brajesh Patel gave this information to PTI on Friday. The IPL Governing Council will meet next week to finalize the program and approve it. It is learned that the Cricket Board of India (BCCI) has conveyed its plan to the franchisees.

PTI had reported the dates on Thursday, after which Patel confirmed it. Patel said, ‘The Governing Council will meet soon but we have decided the schedule. IPL 2020 will start from 19 September till 8 November. We hope to get the government’s approval. It will be a full 51-day IPL. ”The International Cricket Council’s (ICC) decision to postpone the T20 World Cup to be held in October-November has made the hosting of the IPL possible.

Patel said that the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is being prepared to avoid the threat of corona virus epidemic and the BCCI will officially write to the Emirates Cricket Board. Patel said, ‘We are making SOP and it will be ready in a few days. Whether or not to allow viewers will depend on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government. We left the decision to its government. Nevertheless social distance has to be followed. We will also write to the UAE Board officially. ‘

There are 3 grounds available in UAE which are Dubai International Stadium, Sheikh Zayed Stadium (Abu Dhabi) and Sharjah Ground. It is learned that the BCCI will hire the grounds of the ICC Academy to train the teams. The ICC Academy has 2 full-size cricket grounds, as well as 38 turf pitches, six indoor pitches, 5700 square feet of outdoor conditioning area with physiotherapy and medical centers.

According to the current health protocol in Dubai, if people are bringing their Covid-19 test report negative, then they do not have to live in quarantine, but if it is not so, they will have to go through the investigation. There was speculation that the IPL would start from 26 September but the BCCI has decided to start it a week earlier so that the Indian team’s Australian tour is not affected.

The official said on condition of anonymity, “The Indian team will have to remain on segregation for 14 days as per the Australian Government’s rules. It can cause trouble with delay. ”He said,“ The good thing about this 51-day program will be that it will reduce the number of matches in two days in a day. With the tournament running for 7 weeks, we can stick to the original schedule of organizing two matches for five days. ‘

Each team will need a month’s time to practice and in such a situation, the franchisees will reach the venue by 20 August. This will give them four weeks time for preparation. The Indian team has to play a 4-Test series in Australia, whose first match will be played in Brisbane from 3 December. The IPL was to be held from late March but it was postponed indefinitely due to Corona virus epidemic and travel restrictions.