BCCI taking baby steps towards IPL in the UAE

Dubai - The BCCI has reportedly already got in touch with UAE airline officials from Emirates and Etihad, the two main carriers in the country

As the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) awaits the Indian government's clearance for the Indian Premier League (IPL) to be held in the UAE, baby steps are already being taken by the governing body towards that.
The IPL governing council chaired by former Indian cricketer Brijesh Patel, according to a news report, is likely to hold an emergency meeting on Friday to work out the schedules and the logistics that come with holding the tournament.
The governing council will be discussing the dates, the number of matches, the venues, the training facilities, broadcasting, as well as the standard operating procedures for the eight franchises in terms of quarantine procedures and creating a biosecure bubble to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.
This year's edition was initially scheduled to take place between March 29 and May 17 but had to be postponed indefinitely because of the pandemic.
"We will follow what the ICC has recommended and we are also looking at other sports, what they are doing. We will see that the safety of the players, the support staff and broadcasters are taken care of," Brijesh Patel had told the Khaleej Times, a few days earlier.
The governing council will study the various football leagues, which had resumed amid the pandemic, as well as the ongoing England-West Indies Test series, which became the first international cricket event to resume after a gap of 117 days.
It is being said that the duration of the 13th edition of the tournament will be between 44 to 48 days and could consist of 60 matches, with teams playing 14 matches.
The UAE, which had hosted the first phase of the seventh edition of the competition in 2014, has three venues - the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, the Zayed Cricket Stadium and the historic Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
It is understood that ovals at the ICC Cricket Academy, which is part of the sprawling Dubai Sports City, will be used as training facilities. The state-of-the-art academy has 38 turf pitches and six indoor nets apart from full fledged gyms.
The governing council will also discuss the current health protocols in the UAE.
The BCCI is expected to send a logistics and operations team to the UAE well ahead of the tournament to oversee preparations at the three venues.
Teams have already been sounded out about hotel bookings and the BCCI will be assisting them on the matter. The health protocols will be in place with hotels being sanitized.
As far as travel is concerned, the BCCI has reportedly already got in touch with UAE airline officials from Emirates and Etihad, the two main carriers in the country.
The franchises are expected to fly out a month before the competition starts.
The Indian government's approval is expected shortly.
sports@khaleejtimes.com