New Delhi: With the 13th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) dates coming near, the franchises have reportedly started the procedure of quarantining and testing their players for COVID-19, according to reports. The cash-rich league is scheduled to begin on September 19 with the final slated for November 10.
As per ESPNcricinfo, the IPL owners have had an internal meeting a couple of days back and discussed the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) which was sent by the tournament’s governing council. Mumbai Indians have reportedly started with the quarantine procedures of the players in a hotel with regular COVID-19 tests scheduled. Players who complete their quarantine and come out negative will then be allowed to train at their facility in Navi Mumbai.
Rajasthan Royals has also planned to conduct COVID-19 tests of their players and support staff over the next two weeks before their departure to UAE. Another franchise has asked their Indian players to home quarantine as a safeguard while simultaneously initiating COVID-19 tests.
“Outdoor training is out of question still, we’re being cautious and since everything is still very uncertain with regards to SOPs, we’re awaiting final confirmation,” a franchise source was quoted as saying to ESPNcricinfo. “We have put forward our concerns with the IPL governing council, hopefully, everything will be clear this weekend so that we can start planning.”
As per the SOPs issued by the BCCI, the players are supposed to undergo a week-long quarantine, as well as four separate COVID-19 tests before they start training in UAE. Though the franchises have asked for a reduction in the length of the quarantine period upon entering the bio-secure bubble in UAE, the BCCI is yet to respond.
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However, franchise owners are also fretting over the matter that the IPL Governing Council hasn’t issued any notification about the quarantine period. Teams like Sunrisers Hyderabad may lose players like David Warner and Jonny Bairstow, Royal Challengers Bangalore may lose Aaron Finch and Moeen Ali for similar reasons in first few matches as all these four players probably be arriving in the UAE from the UK after the England versus Australia T20I series which finishes on September 15, four days prior to the start of the IPL season.
It is understood that Chennai Super Kings will fly gather in Chennai on August 9 before they fly out to UAE the next morning. Kings XI Punjab are also planning on the same lines by gathering their Indian squad first. Kolkata Knight Riders are looking at Abu Dhabi as their base and want to reach there by August 21 or 22.
Meanwhile, the advertisement shoots are also a major concern for the franchises. The instruction that was issued on this matter suggests that the player have to keep a 10-day gap between their shoots and their departure to the UAE.
The shoots can only be held at ballrooms of a five-star hotel, with proper maintenance of social distancing norms, with no more than five crew members allowed at a time, that too in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits.
