The ICC has allowed a maximum of 70% spectators to witness the T20 World Cup 2021 directly from the stadiums in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman in October-November. This is going to be the first international tournament to be held in the UAE with the participation of fans on a large scale after the Covid-19 epidemic.
Earlier, spectators were not allowed to enter the field during the second leg of the PSL 2021 in the UAE in June this year, while the ongoing IPL 2021 has been allowed spectators to enter the stadiums in a limited capacity. This is a kind of dress rehearsal for the UAE’s local governments, ICC, and BCCI to stage the ICC T20 World Cup 2021.
The ICC and the event hosts (BCCI) are working closely with the host authorities to welcome spectators to the tournament in a safe environment and to ensure that the Covid-19 protocol is properly applied everywhere.
Meanwhile, ticket sales for the matches in Oman and UAE have started. The Abu Dhabi Stadium has a seating capacity of one for every four seats due to social distancing, and a temporary structure at the Oman Cricket Academy has a capacity of 3,000 spectators.
The ICC T20 World Cup 2021 was originally scheduled to be held in India, but the venue was shifted to the UAE earlier this year due to an increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in the country. The tournament is set to kick off in Muscat on October 17, with Oman facing Papua New Guinea in the first round.
The top four teams in the first round will later join the top eight teams in the main competition. It will begin on October 23 with a face-off between Australia and South Africa in Abu Dhabi. The final match of the tournament will be held on November 14 in Dubai.
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