The governing council of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will meet via a conference call on Sunday to finalise the schedule and other essential details of the tournament’s deferred 13th edition, set to start in the United Arab Emirates on September 19.
IPL governing council chairman Brijesh Patel confirmed to The Hindu that the meeting has been convened on Sunday.
While he didn’t elaborate on the agenda, it is learnt that the governing council is primarily set to finalise the fixtures and the standard operating procedure (SOP) to ensure bio-secure bubbles for all participants.
According to an insider, the IPL authorities in consultation with event partner International Management Group have identified hotels for each of the teams.
With the need to plan for about 40 individuals per team, the authorities are considering keeping the teams away from each other in order to follow and monitor distancing protocols.
It is highly unlikely that partners and family members of cricketers and support staff will be allowed to stay in the same hotel as the team.
Dialogue with franchises
Multiple franchise executives confirmed that apart from “the duration and the venue”, the franchises are yet to hear anything officially from the IPL/ BCCI.
However, they said that an informal dialogue has been initiated by both parties.
A franchise official said most teams have asked the authorities for a dedicated individual to deal with the operational aspects involved in the maintenance of a bio-secure environment.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has given the formal go-ahead for the relocation of the event.
The clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Home Affairs is still awaited.
A BCCI official was confident, however, that the nod will be received “well in time for Sunday’s meeting”.