‘Conducting IPL 2020 Amid Coronavirus Was My Biggest Achievement’: Jay Shah
New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah said that conducting the Indian Premier League 2020 was his biggest achievement so far. The 13th season of IPL was conducted inside the bio bubble played in the United Arab Emirates. This was the tournament’s first season where no spectators were allowed inside the stadium due to Covid-19.
BCCI had released the fixtures on February 18. The tournament was scheduled to start from March 29, 2020. Mumbai Indians were supposed to play the tournament opener against Chennai Super Kings but Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray announced on 12 March that IPL matches can be held in the state only if they are played in empty stadiums.
But on March 13 the cricketing body suspended the tournament until 15 April due to rising cases of Covid-19 and after that on April 9 the government announced the nationwide lockdown.
Not only IPL, many tournaments including EPL, French Open, T20 World Cup and even Tokyo Olympics got postponed or cancelled due to the pandemic but BCCI hosted the full season of the tournament with empty stadium in Dubai.
“My biggest achievement so far was conducting IPL 2020 in UAE in the midst of COVID19. Olympics, EPL and French Open had been postponed or cancelled, we demonstrated to the world what BCCI could achieve” said Jay Shah on TOI.
Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians won that season of the tournament beating Delhi Capitals by five wickets in the final at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Jay Shah was appointed as BCCI secratory in 2019 the cricket board hosted ODI World Cup 2023 under his tenure where Rohit Sharma & C0. lost in the final against Australia.