The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 will be commencing on Saturday without its customary glitz and glamour. The short-form extravaganza normally commences in the last week of March but along with other major international sporting events was postponed as countries went into virus lockdowns. It was then moved to the United Arab Emirates as the Covid-19 cases rose in India.
The tournament opener will be played between the defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Abu Dhabi on September 19. There will be no gala opening ceremony for the world’s richest T20 league, yet president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Sourav Ganguly, expects a surge in viewership for the 13th edition with the matches scheduled for India’s evening primetime TV slots.
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Describing the same, as per the quotes in NDTV, Ganguly said, “They (broadcasters) are actually expecting the highest rating of IPL this season because they believe if (people) don’t turn up in the ground, they will be actually watching on their television sets. Because of the Covid and infection, you don’t want people to be too close to each other, but very soon you will see there will be 30 percent people in the ground with social distancing.”
Rajasthan Royals batsman Robin Uthappa reckons that the cash-rich league will buoy cricket-lovers after a year hit by sporting postponements and cancellations. However, to reduce the number of people on the grounds, there will be no dancing cheerleaders. Players will be ferried to and from hotels under strict BCCI health safety protocols.
There is no denying the fact that the IPL is the most popular domestic league in the world but since its inception in 2008, it has contended with corruption and match-fixing cases. But with the teams in bio-bubbles, BCCI anti-corruption chief Ajit Singh told AFP last month that “controlling interaction between players and others will become easy this season”.
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Despite the controversies, the IPL 2020 has managed to attract top foreign players with Australia’s Pat Cummins the most expensive overseas player after he was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for a hefty price of ₹15.5 crores at auction.
The spotlight will also be on Indian stars including Chennai skipper, MS Dhoni, and star batsman Virat Kohli, who will seek his maiden IPL title with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Dhoni announced retirement from international cricket last month but remains one of the biggest attractions of the tournament.
