Indian cricket fans say thank you to BCCI for hosting IPL 2020 spectacle amidst coronavirus pandemic

When the IPL 2020 was postponed in the April-May window due to the coronavirus pandemic, a pall of gloom had been cast for sports fans. Every cricket and sporting tournament was being cancelled or postponed due to the raging pandemic. When the ICC World T20 was postponed, along with the cancellation of Wimbledon and the postponement of Tokyo 2020 Olympics, it seemed that a year that would be filled with iconic sporting events would now be in shambles. Although Test cricket had resumed without fans in England, the Indian public yearned to see their sporting heroes back in action.

Amidst all this, the BCCI decided to go ahead and organize the IPL in the UAE in the September and November period. This was like treading on eggshells in a very volatile situation. It would have given ample ammunition to people opposed to the BCCI to sharpen their knives in case things went wrong.

There was no precedent as to how they could organize a multi-level tournament in a bio-bubble. England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had set about bio-secure protocols and rules for two teams. But, in the case of the BCCI, they had to organize bio-bubbles in three venues for eight teams at a foreign country. The logistics and the arrangements made behind the scenes by the BCCI were immense and back-breaking.

SOPs the clincher

At the heart of the BCCI blueprint for conducting the IPL was the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) issued to the franchises. There were eight major instructions which stressed on social distancing as the primary way to ensure the coronavirus would not spread. All the eight franchises were staying in different hotels in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Team meetings were virtual and everyone had to follow the coronavirus protocols.

The fact that the franchises and the BCCI followed the protocol to the hilt worked. They faced a challenge initially, with Chennai Super Kings squad getting infected by the coronavirus and two players in Deepak Chahar and Ruturaj Gaikwad being infected. However, they were quickly isolated and with the co-operation of the franchises and the BCCI, the coronavirus did not spread rapidly. The fact that the rules were simple and clear made it obvious that the franchises would have to pay a heavy price if they violated the bio-bubble norms.

Strict bio-bubble rules

The players could not interact or mingle with anybody from outside the bio-bubble. They could not even be together either in the hotel corridors. They had to maintain strict social distancing even in the dressing rooms. The key point here was strict adherence. On the field, the deterrent of a fine worked as no one applied saliva to the ball and the players followed the simple practice of wearing two hats rather than giving it to the umpire.

With strict monitoring of the bio-bubble and with following of the rules to the letter, the BCCI and the franchisees ensured that cricket action would be played out smoothly. By pulling of the IPL 2020 without much incidence is not easy. The BCCI must be thanked for this.

There were some issues, especially with the co-ordination between franchises and the BCCI regarding injury to key players. Varun Chakravarthy and Rohit Sharma are a case in point when the communication between the BCCI and the franchises was farcical to say the least.

But, in the longer run, one must appreciate the BCCI for pulling off a spectacular tournament. It gave sports fans something to cheer for over 50 days amidst the monotony of the lockdown and staying at home. With nothing but coronavirus numbers and cancellations of all events, the IPL 2020 was a spectacular event. The Indian cricket fan must be grateful to the BCCI for holding IPL 2020 against all the odds. Thank you, BCCI.