We will deliver the best possible IPL 2020: Emirates Cricket Board

The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) on Wednesday declared that they are fully equipped with all the specifications that will contribute to the successful edition of the Indian Premier League. 

In an exclusive interview with Gulf News, ECB general secretary, Mubashshir Usmani, stated that the board has already started deliberations with the key authorities to ensure the smooth functioning of the tournament. 

"We have started coordinating with various government departments as well as the three sports councils (Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah) to set the ball rolling,’’ the ECB general secretary was quoted as saying to Gulf News. 

The Emirates Board is now awaiting the BCCI team's arrival to the UAE in a bid to finalise the operational plans. According to the reports, the BCCI team is likely to depart for the UAE on 22 August. 

Top agendas to be addressed by the BCCI team in UAE 

• Meeting with the Emirates Cricket Board and key authorities to finalise the operational plans. 
• First-hand experience of the mechanism of the bio-secure bubble. 
• Recce of the three venues in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. 
• Setting up a BCCI office in UAE for the operational procedures. 

Usmani also claimed that they are in touch with the Ministry of Health to enforce the guidelines that players, support staff and broadcasters would need to comply with. 

"We will try to fast-track the exits of the teams on their arrival at the airport after the PCR tests. Each team will then be taken care of by their respective logistics teams,’’ Usmani said. 

The ECB chairman, Sheik Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahyan, earmarked IPL as the 'pinnacle tournament', and said that they are absolutely thrilled to play host to flagship event. 

“We feel extremely privileged to host what could be considered the pinnacle event of our favourite sport. The magnitude of being in a position to bring the IPL to the vast cricket-loving global community, during current events which have greatly impacted our daily lives, is one we take with extreme importance,” ECB chairman said in a statement. 

[With inputs from Gulf News and Inside sport]