IPL 2020 is about to begin soon in the UAE as the cricket universe will get its first major Indian cricketing event after the COVID-19 break. For the first time in 11 years, the entire IPL season will take place outside India. UAE had hosted the IPL in the past, but it had only got the hosting rights of a few matches.
This year, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah will host the entire T20 competition. However, this IPL will be much different than the past seasons and the following things are the ones that fans will miss in IPL 2020.
6.Celebration
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced BCCI to lay down strict rules and guidelines for the players. While the players will stay in their respective bio bubbles, there is no chance of spreading the virus.
However, if there is a small mistake from the players and he celebrates with his team, then there is a chance of a huge problem for the entire team. Hence, celebrations will not happen in IPL 2020.
5.Press Conference
The players have reached the UAE and after six days quarantine, they will take the field in the UAE. To ensure that they stay safe during the IPL, there will be no formal press conferences.
Usually, before the IPL matches of the teams, a player or an official has a chat with the media, where he discusses his team strategies and other important aspects, but the same will not happen in the conventional way in 2020.
4.Post match presentation
Earlier, after the match, there used to be an anchor, who used to stand near the captain and have direct chats with him in the post-match presentation ceremony. Also, there used to be many guests to present the special awards. However, to limit the presence of persons in one place and to follow social distancing, the post-match presentation will happen just like the one that happened in England vs. Pakistan series.
SOP: Minimal on-field media may be present for post-match presentations, but technology may allow remote interviewing.
3.Team owners
It had become a tradition to see King Khan Shahrukh Khan cheering for his team Kolkata Knight Riders from the stands. In the same way, Preity Zinta was present almost all matches of Punjab. However, this year the owners will not be the same.
SOP: Franchise owners who breach the Bio-Secure protocols will have to quarantine for 7 days and return two negative PCR tests on Day 6 and Day 7, to be allowed to re-enter the Bio-Secure Environment.If the franchise team owners are not a part of the Bio-Secure Environment, they are not permitted to travel on the same vehicle carrying players and team support staff to the venues for training and matches.
2.Live fans
As the cricket fans would have seen in the English series and also Caribbean Premier League, the live audience is not allowed to attend matches because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The other sports like NBA, WWE, and even tennis have launched new technology where fans can attend matches from home digitally.
In a recent interview, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has talked about having 30% fans in the stadium. However, it’s only possible for a later stage in the tournament. So, it is unlikely IPL will have any live fans in the stadium during the initial stage of IPL.
1.Home matches
Home matches were the strongest point of every IPL team. Franchises like Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals had transformed their home stadium into a fortress.
Also, the likes of RCB, KKR, DC, KXIP and SRH received tremendous support from their home crowd. There was also a home advantage for teams as they knew the pitch conditions perfectly. However, there will not be such a thing in IPL 2020 because only 3 neutral venues will host all matches.
