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After a long hiatus, the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will commence within three weeks time in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Majority of the players will be hitting the ground after over five months of inactivity. In this period, most of them were locked up inside their houses, barred from outdoor training.
Naturally, the cricketers require time and some gruelling practice sessions to get back in the groove. Many franchises have thus expressed their desire to play warm-up matches ahead of the opening game.
“Having some competitive warm-up games will be good for the tournament,” a leading franchise executive was quoted as saying by Times of India.
Two other franchises echoed the same sentiments and remarked: “Warm-ups are the only way to get players back into the tournament mode right from Day One.”
“That’s one of the concerns because these boys haven’t really had a go since the last five months and it’s less than a week that they’ve started outdoor training. Match-practice won’t be adequate for sure by the time the tournament begins,” they added.
Broadcasters also in favour of warm-up matches
Other than franchises, even the broadcasters are keen on telecasting the warm-up matches as they believe it would help in building up the hype ahead of the tournament.
“They are in favour of the idea and are also keen on their broadcast as it will help build the anticipation for IPL,” said sources to TOI.
The 13th edition of the cash-rich league will bowl out from September 19, and the summit clash will take place on November 10. Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah are the three venues to host the entirety of matches in IPL 2020.
However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to release the complete fixtures of the tournament.
