It is said that no matter which game you play, it is incomplete without the fans. Fans bring so much more enthusiasm to the game. IPL 2021 was started in April this year in India, but the fans were not allowed to view these games because of COVID 19.
BCCI made this rule of not allowing fans into the stadium because India was recording a high number of COVID-19 cases at that time. Also, BCCI decided not to keep all the stadiums to conduct the matches so that the Players can avoid travelling. So, the matches were being played in limited stadiums with no fans. However, BCCI had to suspend the IPL 2021 indefinitely because April sees a huge number of COVID-19 cases rising in India.
Now, BCCI has announced that the remainder of the IPL 2021 will be played in UAE which will be starting from 19th September to 15th October. This IPL 2021 in UAE is likely to see the return of crowds as the cases in UAE is pretty low as compared to India. Even if the fans will be allowed to the stadium for the remaining matches, they will have to strictly follow the COVID 19 guidelines made by the UAE government. The entry of the fans is not been decided yet but the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) will discuss this closely with BCCI. The fans, however, will not be allowed in full capacity, it is expected that only 60% of them will be permitted to enter the stadium.
“As hosts, ECB will work closely with the authorities to seek approval on what protocols need to be followed — this includes fan attendance, we will then discuss it with the BCCI as well as the ICC to assess their spectator requirements,” Usmani was quoted as saying to IANS.