WILL IPL 2020 WITNESS PACKED STADIUMS? EMIRATES CRICKET BOARD REVEAL - REPORT!  

As IPL 2020 is all set to be hosted in UAE, the Emirates Cricket Board is eager to fill up 30 to 50 percent of the stadiums. 

They are planning to bring in spectators when the IPL is held in the UAE provided the government there approves to the plan, secretary Mubashshir Usmani told new agency PTI.

Last week, IPL chairman Brijesh Patel had told PTI that the decision on letting in fans during the September 19-November 8 event will be taken by the UAE government. Currently, BCCI too is awaiting the final approval from the Indian government to host the IPL in the UAE.

"Once we get the confirmation from the BCCI (on Indian government's approval), we will go to our government with the complete proposal and SOPs which will be prepared by us and the BCCI. We will definitely want our people to experience this prestigious event but it is totally the government's decision. For most events here, the number ranges from thirty to 50 percent capacity, we are looking at a similar number," said Usmani over phone. 

"We are hopeful of getting our government's approval on that," he added. 

Looking into COVID-19 cases in UAE, the countey has little over 6,000 active cases and the overall situation around the pandemic is under control.

As per News18 report, the IPL Governing Council will meet on Sunday (Aug 2) to finalise the logistics and SOP for the world's biggest T20 league. Commenting over it, Usmani said the UAE is ready to host the event and is only awaiting the Indian government's approval. 

"We are still waiting to hear from the BCCI on the Indian government's approval. Having said that, we are ready. We have plug and play facilities here and have informed them (officials at Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah stadiums) to be ready and they are fully aware of it. The UAE government has been very efficient in bringing down the case numbers. We are almost living a normal life with certain rules and protocols to be followed. And with the IPL still some time way, we will be in an even better place than what it is right now," Usmani stated.  

Media report state that, IPL teams will be arriving in the UAE three-four weeks in advance for training as most of the players have not had proper training in India since the lockdown being effective since March.