IPL in UAE: BCCI’s Jay Shah visits Sharjah Cricket Stadium

Dubai: Jay Shah, the Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), visited the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday.

Shah expressed his satisfaction with the venue’s preparations for the upcoming IPL 2020 that is scheduled to kick-start with defending champions Mumbai Indians taking on the last year’s runners-up Chennai Super Kings at 6pm on Saturday.

Shah was accompanied on his inspection of the improved facilities at the stadium by Waleed Bukhatir, vice-chairman of Sharjah Cricket Stadium and Khalaf Bukhatir, Managing Director of Bukhatir Group and CEO of Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Sharjah is scheduled to play host to their first encounter of the 2020 IPL when the Rajasthan Royals take on the Chennai Super Kings on September 22.

The historic Sharjah Cricket Stadium holds the record for the most number of One Day Internationals (ODIs) hosted in a venue with 236 ODIs up to February 19, 2018.

The stadium was originally constructed in the early 1980s and has been much improved over the years. It hosted its first international matches in April 1984, in the Asia Cup that was won by India ahead of Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

Over the next two months, the stadium will play host to some classic IPL rivalries starting with the Royal Challengers facing the Chennai Super Kings on September 22. Sharjah will host a total of 12 encounters thereafter.

September 22: RR v CSK
September 27: RR v KXIP
October 3: DC v KKR
October 4: MI v SRH
October 9: RR v DC
October 12: RCB v KKR
October 15: RCB v KXIP
October 17: DC v CSK
October 23: CSK v MI
October 26: KKR v KXIP
October 31: RCB v SRH
November 3: SRH v MI