The BCCI has had a busy time in recent days with several announcements and developments. The IPL 2021 was compulsorily suspended by the BCCI on 4 May, following a surge of Covid-19 cases within the bio-bubble. Subsequently, an announcement from the BCCI has revealed the plan of holding the second leg of the 14th edition of the IPL in the UAE in September. In the latest move, the BCCI has said that crowds will be allowed to watch the IPL, provided certain conditions are met.
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Final Schedule Awaited
Immediately after the IPL was suspended, there was no plan to shift the tournament out of India. But at a Special General Meeting (SGM) of the BCCI, the decision to shift the competition to the UAE was made, considering that the subcontinent will have bad weather in the September-October window during which the second leg is due to happen. Consequently, it was decided that the remaining 31 games of IPL 2021 would take place in the UAE. The final schedule for the competition has not yet been announced by Indian cricket’s governing body, considering that many international commitments must be fulfilled by the Indian team before the start of the IPL in mid-September.
Permitting Crowds Will Not Worry ECB or BCCI
A media report suggests that permitting crowds to watch the second leg of the IPL should not be a big worry for either the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) or the BCCI. However, the tournament organisers will have to ensure fulfilment of a condition specified by the local government that at least one in two spectators at the stadium should have been vaccinated. A UAE official has been quoted as saying, “The vaccinated fans can be allowed up to 50 per cent of the [stadium] capacity.”