Back in March 2020, the outbreak of coronavirus forced The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to postpone the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 for a month. In April, the league was postponed for an indefinite period and there were doubts if the board would be able to stage IPL at all.

Since the BCCI was staring at a loss of Rs 4000 crore, it was always open to staging the tournament outside the country. And in July, it confirmed UAE as the host nation. For the first time after a decade, the complete edition of the tournament was played outside India.

The IPL franchises ferried their players to UAE in August and the tournament culminated successfully on November 10, when Mumbai Indians defeated Delhi Capitals to lift the trophy for the fifth time.

Thanks to the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), the BCCI successfully staged IPL and earned Rs 4000 crore. The tournament also drew record viewership. In a conversation with The Indian Express, BCCI’s Treasurer Arun Dhumal talked about the success of IPL 2020 and revealed the amount BCCI earned during the pandemic.

“The Board managed to cut nearly 35 per cent of the cost as compared to the last IPL. We earned Rs 4,000 crore during the pandemic time. Our TV viewership went about 25 per cent higher, we got the highest-ever opening game (Mumbai Indians versus Chennai Super Kings) viewership. Those who doubted us came and thanked us for hosting the IPL. Had this IPL not happened, cricketers would have lost one year,” he said.

Dhumal also revealed that the board conducted over 30,000 COVID-19 tests. Over 1,500 people were involved in the smooth conduct of IPL and hence, the number does not come as a surprise.