The cricket tournament will be played for the first time without the glamour quotient of cheerleaders.

IPL 2020 will be held behind closed doors at three venues including Dubai and Sharjah.

The opening match will be played on September 19 between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians at Sheikh Zayed Stadium at 7:30 pm.

Saurav Ganguly, current president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) expects increased TV ratings as the tournament will be played outside the country and viewers will only have to opt for the television.The much-awaited IPL 2020 will get underway from September 19. It was deferred from its original date initially before the cricket board adapted the wait and watch policy to postpone it indefinitely. The decision to host the IPL 2020 in UAE was confirmed after the 2020 T20 World Cup was postponed to next year.

With the Covid-19 situation worsening in India, the circumstances did not favour the lucrative tournament to be held in the sub-continent. In this situation, the IPL 2020 will cut off much of the glitz and glamour with no cheerleaders or opening ceremony in store for the upcoming edition