IPL in UAE: Local healthcare group set to bag rights for bio bubble

Dubai: UAE-based VPS Healthcare has emerged as the top contender in the race to be the official health partner - in charge of providing the bio bubble and the entire medical services for the forthcoming Indian Premier League (IPL), to be held in UAE from September 19 to November 10.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India ( BCCI) is expected to make an official annoucement about it on Tuesday.

Gulf News has learnt that of the three companies in the running - Tata Medical and Diagnostics from India, Restrata from UK and VPS Health Care from UAE - the latter has reportedly bagged the deal. Restrata, incidentally, has provided the bio security cover for English & Wales Cricket Board for the two Test series in England against the West Indies and Pakistan, respectively.

There were a flurry of meetings reported between VPS Healthcare and BCCI over the last few days which clinched the deal for them. This would mean that VPS Healthcare will be providing end-to-end solutions to keep the tournament free of the COVID 19 pandemic.

The eight franchise teams will start arriving here from August 20 onwards while a BCCI delegation will come on August 22. The teams will then be subjected to a six-day quarantine before they get down to business of their conditioning camps.