Wilful breach of IPL's bio-secure bubble will have strong consequences, says Mike Hesson
Aug 24, 2020
Dubai [UAE], Aug 24 : Mike Hesson, Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) Director of Cricket on Monday said that there will be strong consequences if players do a wilful breach of the bio-secure bubble in the UAE.
The IPL 2020 will be played in the UAE from September 19-November 10 and it will be played across three venues --Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah.
The official Twitter handle of RCB shared a video of virtual team meeting that all the players and support staff conducted on Monday.
"We have a document the BCCI has written, which is basically part of your contract. If there's a breach of the bubble, if it's a wilful act, then that becomes a contractual issue between the player and RCB, it will be dealt with very seriously," Hesson can be heard as saying in the team meeting.
During the virtual team meeting, RCB skipper Virat Kohli asked as to what will happen if the players end up breaking the bio-secure bubble.
"If someone was to end up in such a situation or position, for me that's letting the whole team down. Because it might happen at a stage of a tournament where we can't afford to lose that player. If he does so, and we get harmed by it, then the whole team, the whole system, and culture loses. I just wanted to talk about this so that everyone understands the repercussions that may take place if someone violates the rules," Kohli said in the team meeting.
In July, England's Jofra Archer was dropped from a Test match against West Indies as he broke the bio-secure bubble after taking an unauthorised detour to his home in Brighton.
All eight IPL franchises have reached UAE for taking part in the upcoming tournament.
As per the Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs), the BCCI has already told the franchises that the players have to undergo a mandatory seven-day quarantine period after arriving in the UAE.
As per SOPs issued by the BCCI, the players have to undergo RT-PCR tests on Day 1, 3, and 6 of the quarantine phase and then they will be entering the bio-bubble provided they test negative on all three occasions.
The 13th edition of the IPL will be played for 53 days, from September 19 to November 10, across three venues -- Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Dubai.
The final match is scheduled to be played on a weekday, i.e. Tuesday, for the first time in the history of the T20 tournament.
This time, both the afternoon and evening matches will be played half-an-hour earlier than usual.
