 | « Back to article | Print this article |
IPL 2020 began with fist bumps at the toss instead of the customary handshake.
There was no gala opening ceremony for the world's richest T20 league, and the opening game between the Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings at the Sheikh Zayed stadium in Abu Dhabi was played with no spectators due to coronavirus restrictions.
The players's families were not permitted to travel to the stadium. Hence, they enjoyed the match on television, just like us.
To give the cricketers a feeling of competitive action, cheerleaders would cheer virtually each time a boundary or a six was hit or a wicket taken.
Cheering from past IPL seasons played from several loudspeakers present at the ground.
'The current situation is very challenging. But challenges are there in everyone's life,' said BCCI President Sourav Ganguly.
'I hope everything goes well. We have had to prepare everything from scratch because of COVID-19,' Dada added. 'Health and medical security will be of utmost importance.'
The players and support staff were ferried to and from their hotels under strict BCCI health safety protocols.