IPL 2021 SOPs Issued By The BCCI; No Vaccination To Players; Transfers Allowed Within Bio-Bubbles

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) released a detailed document showing the standard operating procedures in relation to COVID-19 guidelines for the upcoming 14^th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2021).

The IPL 2021 will begin on April 9 and the final will be played on May 30. The whole tournament will be played across six cities in the country- Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, and Ahmedabad, which will also host the playoffs and the final of the IPL 14.

No Quarantine For Players Coming From One Bio-Bubble To Another

The BCCI has decided that players coming from the bio-bubble of the India vs England series in the Indian Premier League bio-bubble will not be undergoing any quarantine and will be allowed to join the squad immediately.

With the players supposed to directly get into the IPL bubble after the conclusion of the series, they will not be mandated to quarantine themselves before beginning training camp with their respective franchises. It would be the same case for the England players who are a part of the series too.

“Players coming directly from the Bubble created for the India vs. England series, may be permitted to join the franchise squad without serving the mandatory quarantine period, provided they satisfy the criteria of moving directly to the franchise team hotel either in the team bus or on a chartered flight (sic),” the BCCI stated in a note which has been accessed by Cricbuzz.

“If chartered flights are used then all protocols for crew members must be followed. If the travel arrangements are to the satisfaction of the BCCI Chief Medical Officer then such players will directly enter the franchise team Bubble without the need to serve a quarantine period or undergo an RT-PCR test,” the note added.

No COVID-19 Vaccinations For Players

The BCCI also shot down a suggestion for the players to be preferred before others and getting immunized by taking the COVId-19 vaccine in India.

“The vaccination program against COVID-19 is underway in India and vaccines are currently being administered to the at-risk population viz. front-line workers, health care professionals, people over the age of 60 years and those between the ages of 45-59 years who have comorbidities like cardiac ailments, diabetes, cancer, etc. Until most of the population is vaccinated and immune to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, precautions will need to be taken to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the community,” the note said.

Risk Of Transmission Of COVID -19 Low From Cricket Balls

The BCCI has claimed that the chances of transmission of the virus from the ball are extremely low. Currently, the balls are repeatedly sanitized after being touched by the ground staff or members of the crowd in the stadium. The ball is also sanitized using a wipe if the bowlers or fielders accidentally use saliva to shine it.

Bio-Bubbles And Travel Guidelines  

The passengers arriving from the UK, Middle East, South Africa, Brazil, and Europe will be required to undergo 7-day quarantine at their own cost. Those entering Chennai will be required to serve an e-pass issued by the Tamil Nadu government.

A total of 12 bubbles will be created – 8 for the franchises, 2 for match officials & management, and 2 for commentators & broadcast crew. The BCCI officials will not be a part of bio-bubble hence cannot be allowed to interact with players or franchise officials in the bubble

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