Exclusive: Vincy Premier League T10: 'Conducting tournament in these tough times is itself a motivation'

Bengaluru, May 20: The sporting world is taking baby steps towards escaping from the stifling grip of the Coronavirus pandemic. Recently, Bundesliga resumed sans spectators in Germany and come May 22 cricket too will begin its quest to find a fresh foothold through the Vincy Premier League T10 tournament.

The VPL will be played at the Arnos Vale Sporting Complex, St Vincent, from Friday (May 22) to May 31. The Vincy Premier League, hosted by the St Vincent and Grenadines Cricket Association, will also be the first tournament organised by an ICC Full Member region.

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Kishore Shallow, the SVGCA president and the Cricket West Indies (CWI) vice-president, is the prime brain behind the VPL is understandably elated to see his efforts translating into reality.

"We have set for a Friday start. Preparations are right on track, the ground, players and officials are set for the tournament. We are quite enthused about the tournament and proud about the fact that live cricket is returning after a considerable gap. We are ready for it," Shallow told MyKhel.

For the record, the last competitive cricket match was the Pakistan Super League 2020 match between Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators before the tournament was called off due to Covid 19.

But organising a multi-team tournament that involves nearly 80 players, support staff, match officials posed a massive challenge for Shallow and his associates, particularly because of the delicate global health situation. However, the challenge itself was a motivation for them.

"It was all about managing the risk and setting security protocols for all the parties involved. First of all, we need to ensure the safety of players and even though the tournament is open to public, we have to limit their numbers. We met all the stakeholders and held detailed discussions because these are challenging times. But conducting such a tournament in these challenging times itself is a task that motivates us," said Shallow.

The Covid 19 pandemic made it mandatory for the VPL organisers that they pay attention to even the minutest details. Shallow detailed the measures taken by them to keep everyone involved with the league safe.

"These are tough times and we need to take utmost care to keep everyone safe. As I said, we have laid out strict protocols for everyone to follow - players and spectators. We are giving transportation for every players and other officials so that they can reach the ground straight from their respective homes. It is mandatory for them wear masks all the time except when they are on the field.

"Sanitizers will be provided to everyone around the stadium and the players cannot use any sort of fluid on the ball like saliva or sweat. There will be clearly demarcated places for players within the dressing rooms and it is mandatory for everyone to undergo temperature check before the match. Ahead of the tournament, we will check all the players and support staff and other officials for symptoms of Covid 19 and this process will be repeated mid way through the tournament. We also have received tips from health ministry and will follow them to the word. I can say that we have ticked all the boxes at the moment," said Shallow.

Taking the government and Cricket West Indies authorities into confidence about conducting the tournament was one task Shallow and his team had to undertake in the weeks that preceded the tournament.

"The St Vincent and Grenadines government was quite excited about the idea as was the CWI. Yes, health concerns were there and they were eager to know how we would manage the risks that involve in staging such a tournament. It took us some convincing and fortunately, we had the model of Bundesliga, which is now being played behind closed doors, in front of us. Of course, we got advices and directions from the medical team of the government and the board once we convinced them about our preparedness," he said.

This will be the inaugural edition of the VPL and will there be a chance of it featuring in the annual calendar? Shallow was indeed hopeful.

"We are trying to (make the VPL an annual event). The players and other stakeholders have been quite responsive to this tournament so far. We are trying to set the standard with this edition of the Vincy Premier League. At this stage, we are 99 per cent certain that the Vincy Premier League will be an annual event," Shallow signed off.