MUMBAI: The BCCI and the Maharashtra government have decided to allow 25% crowd capacity for the first phase of IPL 2022 in the state from March 26 to April 15.
“A decision to increase the crowd capacity for the second phase will be taken later, depending on the covid situation,” a source told TOI.
On Wednesday, Aaditya Thackeray, who is the minister for tourism and environment in the state government, and Maharashtra guardian minister Eknath Shinde held a meeting with BCCI’s acting CEO Hemang Amin and key officials of the Mumbai Cricket Association regarding the arrangements for the tournament.
The BCCI has identified five practice venues in Mumbai for the league stage of IPL 2022 — the MCA ground in BKC, the Brabourne Stadium at the Cricket Club of India, DY Patil Stadium, the Reliance Corporate Park in Navi Mumbai, and the MCA ground in Thane.
The forthcoming edition of the IPL will start from March 26 with a game between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium, and end on May 22 (Sunday). There will be 12 double-headers in the league this time.
Each team will be based in a separate hotel to ensure that the bio-secure environment is created and maintained at each of the hotels with “dedicated areas” for the teams. A green corridor will be created for the teams to ensure a “safe passage and smooth movement” of the 10 teams for matches and practice.
“With 70 matches of the IPL-2022 being held in Maharashtra, the state government wants a carnival atmosphere here during the T20 league. Since the matches will be telecast globally, all the municipal corporations of various cities have been asked to beautify their public spots,” informed a source.
The teams are likely to start arriving in Mumbai around March 8, and after a three to five-day quarantine period, will start practising from March 14 or 15th onwards. As part of the IPL’s bio-secure protocols, the participants who will be a part of the bubble — players, support staff, match officials, commentators, broadcast crew and other participants who are critical to the tournament -- will undergo strict quarantine for 3-5 days before entering their respective bubbles.
In case a player/participant catches covid, separate arrangements will be made for that person in the hotel.
All the participants in the IPL will undergo a pre-travel RT-PCR test 48 hours before travelling to Mumbai. While in quarantine, they will undergo RT-PCR testing three times, first on Day 1, second on Day 3 and the final one on Day 5.
In case of a three-day quarantine, they’ll get tested every day. If all three tests are negative, they will be permitted to exit quarantine and commence team activities.
