The IPL 2020 is finally going to be played in the UAE, and the Emirates Cricket Board on Monday confirmed receiving a formal Letter of Intent from the BCCI to host the IPL 2020, proposed between September 19 and November 8, pending clearance from the Indian government.
We have received the (official) letter and now wait on the decision from the Indian government which will ink the final deal,” ECB Secretary-General Mubashshir Usmani said in a media release.
The BCCI is currently preparing a schedule for the IPL 2020. Meanwhile, MS Dhoni with his team Chennai Super Kings is likely to arrive in the UAE a week ago than other IPL teams. CSK was the runner up team in IPL 2019.
According to the Gulf News, MS Dhoni and his entire team will reach UAE in the second week of August. The other seven teams will leave for UAE in the third week of August. CSK’s team management believes that their players have been at home for a long time due to the coronavirus pandemic and need some time to hit the field after a long break.
Dhoni has not played international cricket for almost a year. Dhoni has been away from the cricket field since the World Cup 2019. This will be the second time that IPL will be held in the UAE. Earlier in the year 2014, half of the seventh season of IPL took place here. The decision was made by the BCCI due to general elections in India.
CSK had organised a training camp in Chennai before the nationwide lockdown due to coronavirus. The camp was attended by many players like Piyush Chawla, and Suresh Raina.
Speaking to the Gulf News, Suresh Raina said, “I have a good experience in UAE after playing there for three weeks in 2014. I played some international matches there also. If we have no problems staying and traveling there, the players will get more time to recover. In 2014, there was a very good arrangement that is expected this year as well.”
For the uninitiated, CSK was banned for two years due to match-fixing allegations and returned to the league in 2018. In the year of return, CSK won the title and became the most successful team in the league. Last season, they reached the final and lost the match against Mumbai Indians by one run off the last ball.
