IPL 2020: BCCI to acquire the services of 4 umpires from ICC Elite Panel

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is all set to kick-start the much-awaited 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) from September 19. The tournament was delayed and has now been moved out of the country in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The cash-rich league will be played across three venues namely Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

This will be the first time in the history of the Indian tournament that the final will be played on Tuesday (November 10) instead of weekend. A few days back, 13 members of the CSK contingent including pacer Deepak Chahar and right-handed batsman Ruturaj Gaekwad had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. This was a major blow for BCCI and the CSK team. Now, it looks like this will also have an effect on the presence of ICC Elite panel umpires in IPL.

Reports had suggested that BCCI was keen on securing the services of more umpires from the ICC Elite Panel as this time the IPL schedule was not clashing with any other international tournaments or series. The Indian board usually hires around six foreign Elite umpires during the T20 league.

However, it has been learned that only four umpires from Elite panel have agreed to be a part of the league, while others have turned down the request. As for the Elite panel of match referees, only Javagal Srinath is present. It is speculated that many umpires do not wish to take any kind of risk related to their health in these difficult times.

BCCI to hire sixteen umpires for IPL 2020

The Indian cricket board has planned to gain the services of a total 16 umpires out of which four belong to ICC’s elite panel. The four members from the ICC panel who are set to officiate in the IPL includes Chris Gaffaney (New Zealand), Richard Ellingworth (England), Paul Reifel (Australia) and Nitin Menon (India)

“There are four from ICC’s Elite Panel who have been selected to officiate in the tournament. The rest are Indian umpires. We are looking to bring in the umpires in the UAE around September 10” a source told Times of India.