New Delhi: Brijesh Patel, the chairman of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Monday confirmed that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has got the government approval to go ahead with the tournament in the UAE.
“We have got the official permission from the government to hold IPL in UAE,” Patel told ANI. The IPL 2020 will be held in the UAE from September 19-November 10 and the tournament will run for 53 days.
For the first time, the finals of the IPL will be played on a weekday (Tuesday). The tournament was slated to be played from March 29, but it was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The 13th edition of the T20 tournament will be staged at three venues (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah) in the UAE.
“Taking note of the prevailing COVID-19 situation in India, the IPL GC decided to stage the tournament in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the matches will be played in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi subject to necessary clearances from the Government of India,” BCCI had said in a release.
Moreover, both the afternoon and evening matches will be played half-an-hour earlier than usual.
“IPL 2020 will be played from September 19 and the final will be played on November 10, 2020. The 53-day tournament will witness 10-afternoon matches starting at 15:30 IST while the evening matches will start at 19:30 IST,” the release had stated.
Last week, BCCI and Vivo had also suspended the title sponsorship rights for this year’s IPL.
There has been a huge outcry for boycotting Chinese products after 20 Indian Army personnel, including a Colonel, were killed in the violent face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in June.(ANI)
