In the past two years, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have faced numerous challenges in conducting the Indian Premier League (IPL) smoothly. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the management had to rush to the UAE to complete the fixtures. But now, under a strict set of rules and regulations, the tournament is being organised across two cities – Mumbai and Pune.
The motive of the BCCI is to organise the tournament hassle-free with the least chances of getting infected by the deadly virus. Since the league has gotten bigger with the inclusion of 10 teams, the Indian cricket board and Mumbai Police have come together and issued a few new guidelines for the spectators entering the stadium.
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According to a report carried out by The Indian Express, sticks with a flag aren’t allowed inside the stadiums that are scheduled to host IPL games. It has been learned that the BCCI and Mumbai police feel that sticks of the flags can be used as a weapon of violence or can cause an injury to a player if thrown on the field.
The report further quoted a Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) official stating that during the pandemic days, the franchises had arranged flags made of plastic, however, the board has disallowed them now.
Fans at three venues across Mumbai – Wankhede, Brabourne, and DY Patil, were asked to leave their respective IPL teams’ flags outside the gate, the report stated further.
The change in rule came into notice after an RCB was denied entry into the stadium with the team flag during the match against Rajasthan Royals at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday.
“I pleaded during RCB vs RR game in Wankhede Stadium. I told them that I’m a die-hard fan of Virat and this flag means a lot to me but security didn’t allow it. It was only after requesting for one hour, I was allowed to take my flag for this game but they told me next time they can’t do anything,” the fan was quoted as saying.
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