IPL 2020: RCB open to mid-season transfer of players, says Mike Hesson

Mike Hesson, Director of Cricket of IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore, said that the side is open to mid-season transfer of players

Mike Hesson, the Director of Cricket of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), on Wednesday said that the side is open to mid-season transfer of players.

This mid-season transfer of players is a common theme in football, however, it has not been tried yet in cricket.

As per a report in ESPNCricinfo, this option of mid-season transfer was first floated around by the IPL Governing Council last year.

"Looks if needs must, later on, we are certainly open to it. We've got a small squad and we've done that for a reason. If something injuries were to occur, we'd certainly look at that," ESPNCricinfo quoted Hesson as saying.

"You, however, need both teams to buy into any potential loan. So you need to make sure the other side is happy with the loan and think they'll get benefit from it later on in the tournament as well. So it's not a matter of identifying someone you want, they also have to be allowed to be released as well," he added.

For the first time, the IPL has permitted loans of capped players -- both Indian or overseas. The transfer can take place between teams at the halfway point in the season.

The teams could use it should they have injury concerns going into the second half of the tournament.

"It will come in at some stage due to the fact that it's hard to get potential replacements. We are very comfortable with the squad we have, but if we get injuries or so forth then loan opportunities could become an option. It's certainly something that BCCI are well aware of as well," Hesson said.

The IPL 2020 will be played in UAE from September 19-November 10 in the UAE and it will be held across three venues -- Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah.

All eight IPL franchises have reached UAE for taking part in the upcoming tournament.

As per the Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs), the BCCI has already told the franchises that the players have to undergo a mandatory seven-day quarantine period after arriving in the UAE.

As per SOPs issued by the BCCI, the players have to undergo RT-PCR tests on Day 1, 3, and 6 of the quarantine phase and then they will be entering the bio-bubble provided they test negative on all three occasions.

The final match of the 2020 edition is scheduled to be played on a weekday, i.e. Tuesday, for the first time in the history of the T20 tournament.

This time, both the afternoon and evening matches will be played half-an-hour earlier than usual.