Sourav Ganguly leaves for UAE to oversee IPL 2020 preparations

New Delhi: BCCI president Sourav Ganguly on Wednesday left for the UAE to take stock of the preparations of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, beginning on September 19. 

IPL has been moved to the UAE due to the rising COVID-19 cases in India and will be played across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah from September 19 to November 10. 

Defending champions Mumbai Indians will meet Chennai Super Kings in the opener in Dubai.

''My first flight in 6 months to dubai for IPL?crazy life changes,'' Ganguly posted on hisInstagram handle with a picture in which he was seen sporting a mask and face shield, part of the Standard Operating Procedure while flying amid the pandemic.

Ganguly had to face quite a few challenges when it came to hosting the cash-rich league in his first stint as the president of the BCCI. IPL, which usually takes place in April-May, was indefinitely postponed due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

However, the postponement of the T20 World Cup, which was scheduled to take place in Australia in October-November, gave BCCI the window to host the IPL. All teams underwent a mandatory 7-day quarantine period after which they were allowed to train in the UAE. 

The cash-rich T20 leauge, which sees packed stands in most venues, will be played behind closed doors for the first time due to the coronavirus pandemic.Players and the team support staff will have to undergo Covid-19 tests every 5th day during the course of the tournament.(UNI)