Maharashtra Weekend Curfew: Will It Affect IPL Matches In Mumbai?

Mumbai: As the Maharashtra government announced on Sunday that night curfew will be imposed during weekends, the question on cricket fans’ minds is how will that decision affect IPL matches scheduled in Mumbai?

Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium is one of six venues where IPL matches will be played this season.

Matches start at 7.30 pm and will go on till around 11 pm, while night curfew in Mumbai starts at 8 pm on Fridays and ends at 6 am on Mondays. But a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) source told ANI that the curfew won’t affect games at Mumbai.

The teams are in a bio-bubble and will be travelling in buses which will also part of the bubble. So even during curfew hours, there won’t be a problem for players to commute from hotels to stadiums and back.

“Not just the teams, but the buses and drivers and everything is within the bio-secure bubble. So travelling to the stadium on match days will not be a problem. Regular tests are being done on those working around the teams as well just like it was last year in the UAE. The curfew won’t affect travel to and from the stadium,” the source said.

As BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla said, the board is also planning to vaccinate players ahead of the tournament which starts on April 9.

The first match at Wankhede Stadium is on April 10, between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals.