There is finally some good news for the Indian cricket fans as the 13th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to move to the UAE for the second time. Not just this, the franchises have already been out and the franchises have already started preparing to play the league in UAE.
Recently, talking to IANS, an official from a franchise revealed that they have already started preparing for the logistics and they have already picked the hotel they wish to stay at in Abu Dhabi and how are they planning to train and prepare their players for the league ahead. Revealing information about the same, the official said:
“You need to be smart and plan early. We have been given the required inputs and are planning accordingly. We have actually decided on the hotel we wish to stay at in Abu Dhabi and how exactly we will go through the process of flying in and going through the necessary quarantine period once in UAE. We will obviously need to brush up with the then health guidelines of the country,”
Chennai Super Kings bowler Ravichandran Ashwin (L) celebrates with teammates Suresh Raina (R) and Subramaniam Badrinath (C) after taking the wicket of Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman Chris Gayle during the IPL Twenty20 cricket final match between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore at The M.A.Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on May 28, 2011. AFP PHOTO/Dibyangshu SARKAR (Photo credit should read DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP/Getty Images)
Another official of a former champion franchise claimed that they are looking forward to getting an isolation period done in India before they head off to UAE. He revealed:
“The reason behind that is we are all staying at home. So, if one of us is asymptomatic, we have the risk of infecting others. That is why it is better to go through a couple of weeks of isolation and testing here in the country before heading out,”
When asked about the travel plan, another franchise’s official revealed that they are planning to hire chartered planes as they are the most viable options. He revealed:
“I think most teams, if not all, are already looking at hiring chartered planes. You never know if we will have regular flights operating by the end of August and most teams would wish to be in the UAE by the last week of August or at max the first week of September. So, in such a scenario, the best way is to hire chartered planes as we will all have around 35-40 people flying to UAE. The number of members obviously increases a bit when you are headed outside and have restrictions in movement in times like these,”
However, another official from a franchise begged to differ in opinion as he suggested that first-class travel will be more convenient as they will give space to maintain social distancing. He revealed:
“To be honest, if you ask me, we as a franchise are looking at first-class travel for our players as that means better distancing. The sole reason is that we might not be assembling in India and be directly heading to UAE from each of our homes after doing necessary COVID-19-related tests. So, in such a scenario, you cannot expect the owners to pay for 8-10 chartered trips. But yes, if normal flights don’t start operating then it is a different scenario,”
Talking about the overseas players, an official stated:
“We have been having our calls and discussions on how we are all planning the logistics and stuff and I can assure you almost all of us are of the opinion that foreign players will meet the teams directly in UAE as that makes more sense. Imagine someone first coming to India, spending 10-14 days in quarantine over here and then again heading to UAE and going through their quarantine process. The foreigners are likely to join in directly unless some franchises change any plan in the eleventh hour,”
