Reports | Franchises frustrated with BCCI for not announcing IPL 2020 schedule

For the first time in the competition’s history, the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be played in front of empty stands, but, as things stand, that is the least of the concerns for the franchises involved. With just over 20 days left for the tournament to officially commence, the BCCI are yet to reveal the schedule for the competition and this has left the teams involved in limbo. And, as per inside sources, the delay on BCCI’s part is said to have left the franchises frustrated. 

"God knows, when will they (BCCI) share the schedule with us. We have requested the BCCI -- both orally and through texts -- to make it quick as we have to plan accordingly," a team source told IANS from UAE.

While the reason for the delay is unclear, people in the know have revealed that an unprecedented spike in Covid-19 cases in Abu Dhabi, one of the three cities in which IPL 2020 will be played, might be a major factor as to why the BCCI are holding back. It is believed that the BCCI met with Emirates Cricket Board officials recently to resolve issues surrounding inter-city travel, given the spike in the number of coronavirus cases in the UAE. The franchises are, nevertheless, hopeful of the board announcing the schedule by September 1. 

But barring the schedule, franchises are also said to be upset with the BCCI over their handling of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) covid saga. On Saturday, it was revealed that no less than 13 CSK personnel tested positive for the virus and it is believed that the franchises are not too happy with the BCCI not disclosing the names of the individuals who tested positive. 

"They should have at least told us about the members, who all got infected. For our safety," a source told TOI. 

On Saturday, the BCCI confirmed in a press release that over 1,000 Covid tests had been conducted, of which only 13 (all from CSK) returned positive results. It remains to be seen, however, if CSK will feature in the first game of the season as, in all likelihood, they will be the last team to start training for the competition.