JSCA’s secretary Sanjay Sahay said the bio-bubble has been created at the stadium in adherence with Covid-19 safety protocols and they will follow strict rules for all players and match officials to minimise chances of transmission.

“All officials and players will reside within the premises of the JSCA International Stadium. Only players with a negative Covid-19 test report will be allowed to play. A special committee headed by the president of JSCA has been constituted for enforcing Covid regulations. Players will have to undergo medical check-ups and thermal screening daily and a medical desk is operational round the clock,” he said.

The league, which will be on till October 2, is the first one of its kind to be held in the country after the lockdown. It also hopes to set the tone for other sporting activities that have been stalled in Jharkhand since March end in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Players coming for the tournament get their temperature checked at the JSCA stadium on Friday in Ranchi. Telegraph picture

The Jharkhand government has allowed reopening of stadiums sans spectators after announcing various unlock measures, sporting activities are yet to begin for want of standard operating procedures from the state sports department.

Players for the T20 league started reporting to the stadium from Friday evening. From Saturday, practice sessions have started. The league will have six teams facing each other in 33 matches which will be streamed live on the FANCODE App from 9am-5pm.

“As the tournament is played without the presence of spectators, everyone can watch the match live by downloading the FANCODE App from the Google play store for Android phones and the Apple app store for I-phones. The matches can also be seen live streamed on the web through www.fancode.com,” said Sahay, adding that the tournament is strictly for players registered from Jharkhand and there is no franchisee/team owner or prize money involved.

The players’ dormitory that has been set up at the JSCA stadium complex for the T20 tournament on Friday in Ranchi. Telegraph picture

A bio-secure environment or bio-bubble is set up to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and minimise the risk of transmission of the virus from one person to another during an ongoing tournament. It was first put to use during the West Indies’ tour of England earlier this year after the outbreak of the global pandemic. The series remained successful with no one testing positive during the event. Ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League in UAE, the Board of Cricket Control of India will also set up bio-bubble to prevent infection.