UAE board gets official nod from BCCI to host IPL 2020

The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed that it has received official clearance from the BCCI to host IPL 2020. The development comes a day after the BCCI had got permission from the Indian government to host the league in the UAE.

"We feel extremely privileged to host what could be considered the pinnacle-event of our favourite sport. The magnitude of being in a position to bring the IPL to the vast cricket-loving global community, during current events which have greatly impacted our daily lives, is one we take with extreme importance," Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan,  the chairman of the UAE board, said in a statement.

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Cricday understands that an IPL team, led by its chief operating officer Hemang Amin, will be in the UAE next week to conduct an inspection of the venues as well as finalise the standard operating procedures for all stakeholders.

Although the IPL has sent franchises a set of draft SOPs recently, the final version will also need to be approved by the UAE government.  

The IPL will be played between September 19 and November 10, with 60 matches at three venues: Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Although the tournament schedule has not yet been finalised, the eight teams are already planning their travel to the UAE. 

This, however, isn't the first time that the UAE is hosting the IPL. The first 20 games of the 2014 edition were held in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah because of India's general elections.