BCCI President Sourav Ganguly takes 'first flight in six months'; leaves for UAE ahead of IPL 2020

The 13th season of the much-awaited Indian Premier League is going to commence in the next ten days, and all the preparations are in the final leg. In the latest turn of events, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly left for Dubai on September 9 to have a look at preparations for a bio-secure IPL. The schedule is already out, and fans are filled with excitement to watch the series opener between the two heavyweights.

Defending champions Mumbai Indians will face Chennai Super Kings in the first match scheduled for September 19. The entire season was shifted to UAE, seeing the sharp spike in coronavirus cases in India. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the whole season is set up inside the bio-secure bubble, and safety measures are being observed at the optimum level.

While boarding a flight for UAE, Ganguly took to his Instagram and posted- “My first flight in 6 months to Dubai for IPL…crazy life changes.” In the picture, Dada can be seen being extra cautious and therefore used two masks along with a face shield before starting his journey. The face shield is now the mandatory part of the Standard Operating Procedures while flying amid the pandemic.

Check Sourav Ganguly’s post here-

After a lot of planning and speculations, BCCI is able to stage the most awaited league of the year in UAE. It was only due to the postponement of the T20 World Cup in Australia scheduled for October-November that final plans for IPL could come up on the table. Amid several strict measures and safety protocols, the league will set action across three cities of UAE, namely Dubai, Sharjah, and Abu Dhabi.

The board would have faced a loss of revenue worth a whopping INR 400 crore if the tournament didn’t happen. The cash-rich league that generally sets the nation on fire in the month of April-May got postponed due to the COVID-19-forced nationwide lockdown. IPL Chairman Brijesh Patel is among other significant officials who are already in Dubai.

Despite innumerable precautions, the tournament has been seeing people getting COVID-19 positive even before the start. CSK has become the most affected team after its 13 members tested positive a week ago. Hopefully, the rest of the tournament smoothly sees the light.