IPL franchises are finalising preparations for the tournament in the UAE even as the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed on Tuesday it has received official clearance from the BCCI to host this year’s edition.

Most of the franchises, including Kolkata Knight Riders, have decided to take net bowlers with them as local players won’t be available because of bio-bubble restrictions.

Bengal’s Akash Deep and Sayan Ghosh will be part of the reserve/net bowlers. Ghosh, who’s a regular in Bengal’s white-ball squads, will be part of the Kings XI Punjab team, while Akash joins Rajasthan Royals.

The UAE said it is privileged to host the “pinnacle event of our favourite sport”.

“The magnitude of being in a position to bring the IPL to the vast cricket-loving global community, during current events which have greatly impacted our daily lives, is one we take with extreme importance,” Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, chairman of the UAE board, said in a statement.