The Indian Premier League’s governing council decision to not allow franchises to reach the UAE before August 20 hasn’t gone down well with them.

The move has been aimed at setting up a bio-secure bubble before the teams reach the three venues for the tournament. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also plans to have a co-ordinating unit in Dubai by then which will cater to the franchises and facilitate in running the affairs of the IPL.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah are the venues where the 60 matches, including 10 double-headers, will be held from September 19 to November 10.

None of the franchises was willing to go on record but The Telegraph understands that they are going to take up the issue during a video conference with the governing council later this week.

“There’s nothing we can do about this guideline. I know this has been done in the best interests of the players and support staff. But they should have consulted us so that we could air our side of the story,” a franchise official said.

“Just come to think of it. Most of the players have been out of the game for more than four months. The players need time to get into shape. They also need time to acclimatise. We had planned to reach there around mid-August but now it will be delayed by around a week.

“Don’t forget the heat and humidity could lead to cramps and other complications since the players are coming off a long layoff... Some of the Indian players did face such problems during the last Asia Cup there, in 2018,” said the franchise official.

“We are awaiting the meeting with the governing council and then take it forward from there. Perhaps they will be able to throw some light on our concerns.”

Governing council chairman Brijesh Patel though has promised to hand over a copy of the Standard Operating Procedures to the franchises by Thursday.

The BCCI is still awaiting the clearance from the home and external affairs ministries for holding the tournament overseas.

This delay has also upset the Emirates Cricket Board’s plans since they need the confirmation from the Indian authorities before they approach their own government for the required permission. That could be seen as a certainty but they still need to get the paperwork done at their end.

According to sources, the BCCI’s letter of intent mentions that the tournament is subject to government approval. “Once that is available a formal memorandum of understanding needs to be signed between the two parties. Only then can we set the ball rolling,” a source said.