The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah said that conducting the Indian Premier League 2020 was his biggest achievement so far. The 13th season of IPL was conducted inside the bio bubble played in the United Arab Emirates. This was the tournament’s first season where no spectators were allowed inside the stadium due to Covid-19.
Many major tournaments, including the English Premier League (EPL), French Open, T20 World Cup, and even the Tokyo Olympics, were either postponed or cancelled. Amidst this global crisis, the BCCI succeded in conducting a major tournament like IPL.
Jay Shah on conducting IPL 2020 amidst COVID-19
The 13th season of IPL was initially scheduled to start on March 29, 2020, with Mumbai Indians set to play the tournament opener against Chennai Super Kings. However, the escalating COVID-19 situation led to the Maharashtra Chief Minister announcing on March 12 that IPL matches could only be held in the state if they were played in empty stadiums.
Following this, the BCCI suspended the tournament until April 15 due to the rising cases of COVID-19. The nationwide lockdown announced on April 9 further complicated the logistics of hosting the tournament.
Despite these challenges, Jay Shah and the BCCI team made a remarkable effort to ensure the IPL season took place. They relocated the entire tournament to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), allowing the IPL to proceed under stringent bio-secure protocols. This marked the first instance where no spectators were allowed inside the stadiums due to safety concerns.
Jay Shah reflected on this achievement, stating, “My biggest achievement so far was conducting IPL 2020 in UAE in the midst of COVID-19. Olympics, EPL, and French Open had been postponed or cancelled, we demonstrated to the world what BCCI could achieve.”
Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians won that season of the tournament beating Delhi Capitals by five wickets in the final at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
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