Last Updated on 5 years by Charbel Coorey
The Indian government is all-but-set to grant permission to the BCCI to stage IPL 2020 in the UAE. A formal letter is expected to be provided anytime now.
The showpiece T20 tournament, originally scheduled for March 29, was first postponed to April 15. However, India is continuously trying to cope with a very sharp rise in COVID-19 cases, which has now crossed the two-million mark.
Earlier this week, the IPL governing council met to discuss key contingency plans to ensure the tournament goes ahead as smoothly as possible. These plans will now form part of the tournament’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
BCCI will hand down penalties for breaching the bio-secure bubble
The BCCI is yet to confirm what the penalty is, but any player or staff member who breaches the bio-secure bubble will face consequences. However, there are special circumstances where penalties won’t apply, such as going to the hospital for scans.
“Breach of any Bio-Secure Environment protocols by players and team support staff will be punishable under the IPL Code of Conduct Rules,” the IPL said in the 16-page draft SOP document. The document is titled “Overview of Health & Safety Protocols during IPL 2020 Season”.
In addition, each team will have a doctor, who will be responsible for implementing strict medical protocols to ensure the tournament goes ahead without major issues. Also, all eight teams will be required to stay apart. “Team members must be allotted rooms in a separate wing of the hotel that has a separate centralised air conditioning (AC) unit than the rest of the hotel,” the IPL said. Team meetings need to be conducted in areas that are as open as possible.
Enter Scalene Hypercharge Corona Canon (Shycocan)
The IPL has recommended the use of Shycocan to mitigate the risk of COVID-19. Shycocan is “a device that has the ability to neutralise 99.9% of the coronavirus that might be floating in the air in closed spaces.” Also, on match days:
- Players are discouraged to engage in celebrations such as hugging or handshakes
- Temperatures will be checked before and after matches, and;
- Family members not part of the bubble will not travel with the squad
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