xtratime Logo

XtraTime Web Desk: The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2020) will kick-start on Saturday with defending champions Mumbai Indians taking on Chennai Super Kings at the Zayed Stadium. It will be a huge relief for everyone associated with the cash rich league as there was a lot of uncertainty about staging the IPL this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament had to be shifted to UAE since the cases were not under control in India. Ahead of the start of the most watched and popular T20 league in the globe, let’s take a look at the 5 talking points:

No Opening Ceremony: There will be no opening ceremony this season due to the pandemic. Normally a glittering inauguration ceremony with glitz and glamour is associated with the Indian Premier League (IPL) every season. Last year, the IPL 2020: Five talking points ahead of the curtain raiser in Zayed Stadium terror attack.

Closed door matches: The IPL 2020 will see matches being staged behind closed doors at three venues – Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. There will be no spectators allowed to watch the matches live at the stadium.

No cheerleaders: The 13th edition of IPL will also see no cheerleaders which is normally associated with the cash rich league since its inception in 2008. It will be the first time the IPL matches will be staged without cheerleaders.

Strict health protocols: Players will be ferried to and from hotels under strict BCCI health safety protocols. More than 20,000 coronavirus tests will be carried out during the course of the 53 day tournament.

Strict vigilance: There will be strict vigilance in place to keep the tournament corruption free. None of the cricketers will be allowed to meet anyone other than the members inside the bio-bubble during the course of the tournament. BCCI Anti Corruption Unit watchdogs will keep a constant watch at all the movements of the cricketers and support staffs.