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MPBL moves opening to August at the earliest, looks at closed circuit set-up

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ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/sports/09/16/mpbl.jpg"/></figure></div><p><br/>The Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) plans to have all its players, team owners, and staff members vaccinated before it launches the Mumbaki Cup either late August or early September.</p><p>The league also wants to hold the games in a closed-circuit set-up, where the participants&#x27; movements will be limited to their homes and the game venues, in lieu of the bubble set-up it went through to complete the Chooks-to-Go Lakan Season.</p><p>MPBL commissioner Kenneth Duremdes said the customary June 12 opening date has been temporarily shelved owing to the restrictions posed by the prevailing pandemic.</p><p>&quot;By August or September na,&quot; Duremdes said in a text message. &quot;Hopefully vaccinated na lahat ng mga players na sasali.&quot;</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/03/09/21/all-set-for-mpbl-resumption-in-subic">All set for MPBL resumption in Subic</a></li></ul><p>Duremdes said the stakeholders also took to account the big number of teams taking part, making it even more difficult for the MPBL to secure permission from the Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to open the Mumbaki Cup.</p><p>The IATF allowed the MPBL to complete its division and national finals in a four-team bubble held in Subic, Zambales, last March.</p><p>Duremdes said the closed-circuit set-up &quot;would significantly cut the cost of COVID-19 RT-PCR tests and other expenses during the course of the conference.&quot; </p><p>Another factor for the change in date is Manny Pacquiao&#x27;s upcoming bout against Errol Spence Jr.</p><p>Pacquiao, who is scheduled to fight Spence on August 21, agreed to move the league&#x27;s opening date.</p><div><strong>FROM THE ARCHIVES</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1663168" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

<p>The Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League plans to have all its players, team owners, and staff members vaccinated before it launches the Mumbaki Cup either late August or early September.</p>

The Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League plans to have all its players, team owners, and staff members vaccinated before it launches the Mumbaki Cup either late August or early September.