The Indian Premier League 2020 will be played in the UAE, but dates have not been confirmed.
The schedule and standard operation procedures for the tournament will be discussed by the IPL Governing Council via a teleconference next week. The decks for the IPL 2020 are almost cleared after the International Cricket Council has confirmed on Monday that T20 World Cup in Australia will not take place this year.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India will seek a clearance from the Government of India for finalising the tournament details, IPL GC Chairman Brijesh Patel has told The Sportstar.
The IPL GC chairman, while confirming that the next step will be to finalise the venues in the UAE, had denied that the tournament dates are finalised. He dismissed all speculation about the September 28-November 8 dates for the IPL 2020.
The BCCI after finalising the tournament dates would give formal confirmation to the UAE, which had offered to host the IPL 2020.
Patel also said that the UAE has sufficient infrastructure and facilities to host the IPL successfully and travel restrictions would not be a problem.
The BCCI will follow the ICC guidelines and the FIFA SOPs in working out the playing conditions, travel plan, boarding and other operational procedures. “The safety of players will be of utmost importance,” Patel said.
If the situation permits, the BCCI may also allow some fans in the stadiums. But nothing has been discussed or decided in this regard. The board is also very much open to conduct the league behind closed doors.