New Delhi, Sep 15 (FN Agency) Limited number of spectators will be allowed back into the stadiums when the 2021 Indian Premier League resumes in the UAE this weekend, the event’s organisers announced on Wednesday. The IPL 2021, which was suspended in early May, resumes with the five-time champions and current title holders Mumbai Indians taking on three-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on September 19.
‘This match will be a momentous occasion as IPL will welcome the fans back to the stadiums after a brief hiatus owing to COVID-19 pandemic,’ the cash rich league said in a statement. ‘Matches will be played at Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi with limited seatings available keeping in mind the COVID protocols and UAE government’s regulations,’ it added. According to Our World in Data, more than 80 percent of the UAE population have been fully vaccinated, a factor that worked in favour of welcoming the spectators back into the stadiums.
The exercise, though, will be a rehearsal for both the local governments in the UAE and the BCCI for the 2021 men’s T20 World Cup, which starts on October 17. While the first round of the World Cup will be played in Oman, the Super 12s and the knockouts will be hosted in the UAE. Notably, twenty-nine matches were played in the first phase before IPL 2021 went into a COVID-forced postponement.