IPL 2020: Star India to test all its production members for coronavirus before sending them to UAE

The news of members of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) contingent, including Deepak Chahar and Ruturaj Gaekwad, testing positive for the novel coronavirus has shocked the entire cricket fraternity. Taking note of the alarmed situation, IPL’s official broadcaster STAR India has made an amendment in its original plans.

STAR, who won the IPL rights by bidding Rs 16,347.50 crore for five years, has asked its crew members to now immediately get tested for the virus and board the flight to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) much ahead of the 2020 IPL, which is slated to being on September 19 across three venues in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.

As per the reports, several personnel, who are likely to be a part of the production teams, have taken the covid test on Saturday, August 29, while others were slated to get themselves tested either on Sunday or Monday. Emirates, which will be flying the production team to the gulf country, has advised the members to take tests in the different Indian Council of Medical Research-accredited laboratories located in different parts of the country.

Production team to quarantine in Dubai for two weeks

The results of the tests conducted would be known in a few days and those who will test negative will immediately fly to UAE as they will have to serve a two-week quartination there as per the protocols. The crew members do not have to worry about their visas and tickets as that would be arranged by STAR India.

Also the freelancers from other countries who would be joining the production team have been asked to carry a hard copy of their Covid-19 test report and also email the report to their superiors.

“Some of us have taken the COVID-19 test on Saturday after we were informed by STAR bosses of the re-jigged plan after more than 10 personnel associated with the IPL teams tested positive, confirmed by the BCCI on Saturday. We have been instructed to be on standby to take the flights, starting as early as August 30, after getting a negative Covid test report,” a senior member of the production said as quoted by The Statesman.

In the view of the coronavirus pandemic, STAR has decided to form three crews, one each for Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, to cover the IPL matches as the quarantine rules of the three cities is completely different from one another. Also, each crew is likely to comprise 70-80 personnel, and most of them are expected to be from India, as usual.

Usually 35 cameras are used to cover a IPL match, however, the authorities can reduce the number of cameras in case the final strength of crew varies if some members test positive for the novel coronavirus. Though this will not affect the picture quality of matches in any way.

“If the number of desired people, who will come from across the world, are finally not available, the strength may be reduced, possibly along with the number of the cameras used for a match. But the reduction would not impact the quality of the coverage and viewers wouldn’t be able to make out that a reduced team is producing the coverage of the same high quality,” the source added.