The Indian Premier League is set to take the world stage between September 19th and November 10th as they welcome players from England and Australia for the IPL 2020. After the IPL governing body placed a limit of 24 players per team and an unlimited number of substitutes, England and Australia announced their squads.
Currently, Australia and England have named 29 players who are scheduled to begin arriving in the UAE next week. This includes Pat Cummins from Australia and Ben Stokes from the UK. However, it is anticipated that several top players will be absent for the start as Australia will be in the process of wrapping up its tour of the UK for a white-ball series three days before the IPL begins.
Neutral Location Chosen due to Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted sports events worldwide and has seen the tournament being moved to a neutral country. That resulted in the UAE being chosen with three cities acting as hosts for the event due to the number of appropriate hotels and facilities that are located in close proximity to the venues.
Similar to other sporting events currently taking place, all players will be required to undergo a quarantine period after their arrival in the UAE before they can take part in training exercises or meet with teammates.
Commenting on the quarantine period, Kasi Viswanathan, the chief executive of the Chennai Super Kings stated: “Only after that they will be able to join the team and start training.” The Super Kings have are expecting to perform well in the tournament due to their contracting England’s Sam Curran and Australia’s Josh Hazlewood. The team however will be missing Faf du Plessis and Lungi Ngidi due to travel restrictions.
Likewise, to the Super Kings, the Australian team has a talented squad who have had an impact in the IPL. This includes Pat Cummins, David Warner and Steve Smith, key members who play for the Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals. However, it was reported that Australia’s assistant coach Andrew McDonald shall not join the team in the UK. Commenting, Cricket Australia’s Ben Oliver stated: “Part of our agreement with him that he would be able to continue as head coach of the Rajasthan Royals — and we’re really comfortable with that.”
It is expected that the Rajasthan Royals will be heavy favourites due to their squad including Tom Curran, Jofra Archer and Jos Buttler. In hopes of combating the Royals, CSK are bringing multiple net bowlers to ward off any risk to their preparations.
The Indian Premier League will get underway on the 19th, however fan attendance will be skipped to ensure the risk of the coronavirus being spread to fans, players and support staff.
