Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah on Wednesday took to social media to share 'spectacular and breathtaking' images from Sheikh Zayed stadium, which the IPL 2020 opener will be played between defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) and last year's finalists Chennai Super Kings (CSK). ALSO READ | IPL 2020 RCB Team: Top Five Royal Challengers Bangalore Players To Watch Out For In The T20 Tournament
Taking to Twitter, Jay Shah also attached pictures from Dubai International Stadium and wrote, "3 more days to go! What a spectacular and breathtaking view from the stadiums in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. United Arab Emirates looks all set to host the most awaited tournament of the year #IPL2020. The world is ready, so are we! @IPL @BCCI @SGanguly99 @ThakurArunS."
IPL 2020 was initially slated to take place on March 29, but the spike in coronavirus cases in India led to the T20 tournament getting indefinitely postponed. ICC postponed T20 World Cup in Australia due to Covid-19 pandemic which gave the BCCI September-October window to conduct the cash-rich tournament.
The final of the 53-day T20 tournament will take place on November 10. All games will be played inside closed doors in a bio-secure bubble with zero spectators. The BCCI think tank chose Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah as the three venues where all IPL matches will be played. All evening games will witness a 7:30 PM start and the afternoon games will be played at 3:30 PM.
In a first, Covid-19 replacements have been allowed by the Governing Council for IPL 13. All eight franchise's squads have been limited to 24 players.