A BCCI official said to The Indian Express that not just players but everyone associated with it would be following the norms, including the WAGs. The board’s plan also suggests four coronavirus tests for players before the league.
Key point of SOP
Some of the key points in the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) prepared by the Indian cricket board for the IPL franchises include no fans inside the stadium to start with, not more than 15 players in a dressing room at a time, social distancing norm to be followed even in post-match sessions, commentators to six with six-ft distances in between, guidelines to be followed by the WAGs, and four tests for the players ahead of the IPL 2020 in two week of span.
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Speaking to a leading daily, a BCCI official gave details about the SOP to be sent to the team owners. “The BCCI will not decide whether WAGs and family members can travel with the players, we have left it to the franchises. But we have put out a protocol in which everyone, even team bus drivers, can’t leave the bio-bubble,” the official said. “The SOP will be handed over to the franchises once we have a meeting with them next week. If they have any grievances, they can come back to the board and we will discuss it.” He added, “Once they are in the bio-bubble, no one can break it and rejoin,” the official said.
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BCCI to get government approval yet
The Indian government is yet to give final approval to move IPL 2020 to the UAE. Meanwhile, the Emirates Cricket Board and the BCCI have started planning to organize the same in the scheduled time. The SOP has been prepared by the Indian cricket board on the lines of norms devised by the England and Wales Cricket Board.
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The BCCI will be sending the SOP soon to everyone concerned but the board has already asked franchises to work out logistics and hotel arrangements. The board will though help in getting discounts during bookings for the IPL franchises. The COVID-19 situation is expected to get better in the UAE but a BCCI official clearly said, “We don’t want to take risks. At least for the early part of the tournament, the games will be played behind closed doors.”
