Test cricket has resumed and ODI and T20I are lined up in England.
Now, Caribbean Premier League (CPL) has confirmed on July 10 that the entire CPL 2020 would be held in Trinidad and Tobago from August 18 to September 10.
With the IPL 2020 postponed indefinitely, the CPL 2020 will, thus, become the first franchise T20 event to take place in several months after the COVID-19 forced break.
The confirmation came after the organizers and the government reached an agreement on hosting the tournament with all the safety precautions.
The organisers and the local authorities have created strict protocols- housing players in one hotel, strict quarantine and regular temperature checks and testing among other- to minimise the risk of transmission of the virus to the local population of Trinidad and Tobago and among those travelling to the country from overseas.
CPL 2020 party will be put into household
“All teams and officials will be housed in one hotel and everyone will be subject to strict quarantine protocols for the first two weeks they are in the country.
“Everyone travelling from overseas will be tested for COVID-19, before departure and then again on arrival in Trinidad,” the CPL said in an official statement.
“Teams and officials will be put into ‘households’ where social distancing will need to be in place.
There will be smaller clusters within each household where these measures can be relaxed.
“However, if any member of this cluster display signs of COVID-19 at any time during the tournament all members of that cluster will be expected to self-isolate for a period of 14 days from the time that a member of that cohort first shows symptoms.
“All members of the CPL party will be subject to regular temperature checks and will be re-tested for the virus throughout their stay in Trinidad and again before departure.”
Least affected due to COVID-19
CPL 2020 will see overseas and Caribbean players including Rashid Khan, Chris Lynn, Carlos Brathwaite, Dwayne Bravo, Alex Hales and Kieron Pollard participate in the tournament, which last year had a combined broadcast and digital viewership of 312 million.
Former Rajasthan Royals leg-spinner Pravin Tambe, who was signed up by Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) in the draft process, will become first Indian to participate in the CPL.
The Caribbean has been among the least affected regions due to the COVID-19 pandemic with Trinidad and Tobago reporting just 133 cases so far.
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