VPS Healthcare frontrunner to be IPL official partner

Home-based VPS Healthcare Group is primed to pip India's Tata Group and UK-headquartered Restrata as the official healthcare partner for the Indian Premier League 2020 edition.

It is reliably learnt that a final round of meetings between the BCCI and involved stakeholders were held on Monday. VPS Healthcare's state-of-the-art 14 hospitals, prior experience of conducting a massive number of Covid-19 tests and important link with the IPL seemed to have helped secure the BCCI nod. VPS Healthcare, owned by Indian entrepreneur Dr Shamsheer Vayalil, has facilitated medical care for the 2014 edition of the IPL, which had a UAE leg, Abu Dhabi T20, Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Formula One and the UFC to name a few sporting events.

If the healthcare gets picked, it will provide end-to-end medical assistance for the safe conduct of IPL in the country and carry out the RT-PCR tests. They will be responsible for creating a bio-bubble for the safety of the players and match officials and provide holistic, end-to-end Covid-19 safety services for the franchises, including players, team members, and match officials.

For the record, VPS Healthcare was the first group in the UAE to offer its hospital to fight the pandemic. In May, it had flown more than 100 medical staff from India to join the UAE's fight against Covid-19 and initially conducted tests at airports for passengers. The group has held multiple Covid-19 screening centres and tested more than 100,000 people. The BCCI is expected to make an official announcement on Tuesday.