The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will be conducting about 30,000 RT-PCR tests on every player, support staff, and other stakeholders who will be involved in phase 2 of IPL 2021.
The tests will be conducted through BCCI’s medical service provider VPS Healthcare.
VPS Healthcare will also be providing emergency treatment services to the players and will have medical experts and air ambulances on standby throughout every remaining match of the competition.
Dr Shajir Gaffar, CEO of VPS Healthcare said, “Our team is completely equipped to take care of the medical needs of the IPL participants, The UAE has a good strike rate in seamlessly conducting high-profile sports events during the pandemic. Even in these challenging times, the country is setting new benchmarks in expertly managing international sporting tournaments through its state-of-the-art stadiums, watertight measures, and well-trained personnel. With the second leg of the IPL and ICC T20 World Cup happening back-to-back, the UAE can solidify its pioneering position as a safe global sporting destination.”
Phase 2 of IPL 2021 which is scheduled to start from 19th September will have RT-PCR tests being conducted every third day instead of the regular five days.
VPS Healthcare has also set up a 100-member multidisciplinary team for Covid-19 management and a team for sports medicine.
The medical staff will also be allocated in the same hotel bio-bubbles as the players and the support staff to avoid players moving out of their bio-bubbles.