The Indian fans are likely to miss the action of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 at the stadiums as the league will be held behind closed doors.
The cash-rich league, which will begin on April 9, will be played in India after the 2020 edition was organised in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) due to the pandemic.
In an interview with InsideSport, IPL Governing Council Chairman Brijesh Patel said that spectators will not be allowed to attend stadiums throughout the season.
He said that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and IPL officials will ratify their decision at the upcoming Governing Council meeting.
“Yes, I can confirm that there will be no spectators allowed for this season. Not for a single match. We will have a Governing Council meeting in the next two days to ratify these decisions. The decision was taken Mumbai as a venue was difficult to decide. but we believe things will improve. But we are keeping our options open (to opt for a replacement venue in case the situation go out of hands,” Patel was quoted as saying by Inside Sport.
Earlier on Sunday, the BCCI announced that the IPL 2021 season will begin on April 9 in Chennai, with defending champions Mumbai Indians taking on Royal Challengers Bangalore.
The final will be played on May 30 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Motewra.
Meanwhile, 2020 season’s runners-up Delhi Capitals will kick-off their campaign on April 10 against Chennai Super Kings in Mumbai.
The board also said that the cash-rich league will be held in six cities — Chennai, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Bengaluru and Kolkata.