IPL likely to announce fixtures today; BCB denies Mustafizur NOC for tourney

The mystery surrounding the Indian Premier League (IPL) fixtures, with hardly two weeks remaining, is likely to come to an end on Sunday, according to the Indian media.

IPL chairman Brijesh Patel was quoted as saying by a section of Indian media that the governing council would announce the IPL fixtures on Sunday.

Earlier, the reports suggested the fixtures would be announced on Friday but that did not happen. However, the IPL chief assured of coming out with a fixtures on Sunday.

The announcement of the IPL fixtures were delayed after a number of Chennai Super Kings players tested positive.

A delayed IPL has been shifted to the UAE owing to rising coronavirus cases in India. The tournemant gets under way on Sept.19 and will be played through to Nov.10, 2020.

Meanwhile, left-arm Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman has been denied a no-objection certificate (NOC) by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) for the upcoming season of the (IPL).

According to a report in ESPNcricinfo, Akram Khan, the cricket operations chairman at BCB, said that Bangladesh’s tour of Sri Lanka in October and November was the reason for the denial.

It is said that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were interested to bring in Mustafizur at one point to replace Harry Gurney.

“There was an offer from the IPL but since we have a tour coming up, we didn’t give him the NOC. He is an important cricketer for us and this upcoming series is also important,” ESPNcricinfo quoted Khan as telling to Dhaka-based bdnews24.com.

Bangladesh are set to tour Sri Lanka for a three-Test series, scheduled to begin on October 24 at a time when IPL will be on in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Mustafizur last played in the IPL in 2018 for the Mumbai Indians. In seven matches that season, he took seven wickets. He had much more success while playing for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016 and 2017. In 17 matches for SRH overall, he scalped 17 wickets. In total, he has played 24 IPL games and has 24 wickets to his name at an average of 28.54.

All the While, as cricket fans around the world prepare to watch the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), streaming service Disney+ Hotstar VIP on Saturday said it has partnered with India’s leading telecom companies Reliance Jio and Airtel.

The partnerships are aimed at making it easier for people to subscribe to the streaming service.

Both Jio and Airtel will offer “exciting” prepaid recharge plans bundled with a 12-months subscription to Disney+ Hotstar VIP, the company said.

The two partners will provide the convenience of buying these plans across either millions of Jio and Airtel retail stores using cash in or digital payments.

“Over the past few years, IPL has become the most loved sporting tournament in the country,” Uday Shankar, President, The Walt Disney Company APAC and Chairman, Star & Disney India said in a statement.

After several months of the lockdown, we believe that this tournament can be a catalyst in ushering in new optimism and smiles in India, with millions of fans cheering together from all parts of the country.”

Starting Sept.19, all Live matches will be exclusively available to new and existing subscribers of Disney+ Hotstar VIP and Disney+ Hotstar Premium.

This year Disney+ Hotstar VIP has added new features to the interactive Watch’N Play social feed that allows a virtual community of cricket lovers to share excitement and support while watching the matches Live on the platform.

Cricket lovers will be able to join in the action by expressing themselves using “Hotshots” selfies or a new video feature “Duets” that lets fans create customised videos showcasing their rendition of famous shots.

“Our use of technology in presenting this immersive experience will not only set a global benchmark but also redefine the way we watch and enjoy sports in the coming years,” Shankar said.

Agencies