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IPL 2020 Updates

Mumbai: With reactions continuing to the fate of the 13th edition of the Indian League (IPL) in the wake of Covid-19 and the potential threat it poses, there is still no clear answer to the big question: What is waiting for IPL 2020?

Occupants of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry will arrive in Mumbai on Friday, one day before the IPL Board meeting here. They will discuss the latest announcement published by the Ministry of Sports on Thursday for all national sports federations and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The notice states that "there will be no public meeting at any sporting event (read: IPL in the current context) and it will run behind closed doors without spectators."

In light of this notice, neither the BCCI nor the IPL GC will accelerate the announcement. The usual response is, "We'll wait and watch." In fact, no one has an answer to questions at this time. It takes less than 48 hours to cancel a match. Organizing one takes weeks of planning. If the Ministry of Sports proposes playing in empty seats, the clear message is that IPL is currently activated.

TOI has analyzed possible solutions to the test and the possible implications of Covid-19 on IPL in the coming weeks.

Now: The league is on, and is scheduled to start on the specified date (29 March). There is no official notification to indicate otherwise.

Moving forward: the tournament can be postponed, the format slightly modified to fit in a smaller window, or the tournament can be played at empty points (behind closed doors).

At the moment: Very unlikely. Government notification allows BCCI to plan the tournament. BCCI is also busy working on Plan-B.

Moving forward: Only a large spread of the virus in the coming weeks could force a cancellation. There are 17 days left to start the tournament. Every day is important.

Now: The first option is to play on empty stands. Franchise holders and broadcasters must follow government notification. Thus, the tournament can be limited to specific locations.

In the future: The second option is to change the layout, only if the scenario requires it. Eight teams can be divided into two groups (such as the 2011 version). The tournament can see less than 20 to 25 games, which will be completed within a month.

(D) Will foreign players be allowed?

At the present time: the Australian opening visa David Warner has been rejected. However, those who know it says it happened due to technical flaws in its application.

In the future: Concessions must give their approval to process a visa, and this is the norm. If the government has no objection to the league being played behind closed doors, visa procedures will be expedited as "exceptional" cases.

Putting the common questions aside, the league's workforce will lose sleep while seeing the massive workload in handling and logistics operations if changes are needed.

They already have a lot on their page: from hotel and airline reservations to reprogramming places, adjusting sponsorship obligations, renegotiating with official rights holders, managing internal arrangements, event planning in a more convenient way to television and more.

NOT WISE TO HOLD IPL: MEA

New Delhi: MEA has left the decision to retain the IPL for regulators, although senior officials have said it would be wise to do so now. In response to reporters' questions, Damu Ravi, a senior official at Middle East Airlines, said: "I think it is up to the regulators to decide whether or not they want to go ahead. Our advice will not be to do that now, but if they want to go ahead." This is their decision, "but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs later clarified that the ministry had not yet requested any contribution to this matter.

Participation of major foreign players

Mumbai: If foreign players are excluded from the equation, there will not be much difference between IPL and Mushtaq T20 tournament, despite salaries. This is the reason why foreign players arrive will be the IPL key this year, regardless of the tournament being played behind closed doors or in a refurbished format in a shorter window.

On Thursday afternoon, Australian visa application David Warner was rejected, raising concerns that under the government’s revised travel notice, visas will not be issued to people who arrive here on a business trip.

However, this may not be the case. Sources told TOI on Thursday, "If the government agrees to operate the IPL, the visas will not be a problem. The process will be accelerated as necessary." The BCCi discovers the availability of these foreign players. TOI spoke to the franchises that said the league could not continue without these players, "whether the tournament is played in empty places, in the form of re-arranged or rescheduled."

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