IPL 2020 will break viewership records, feels Brijesh Patel

The scheduling of the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) might be less than ideal - in September, well past the Indian summer - and the frenzy surrounding the tournament might be a bit underwhelming, especially compared to the previous editions, but the organizers have every reason to be excited. With India - and several other countries - still under partial lockdown, with a vast majority of people confined to their homes and with cricketing action being minimal, a mood-cheering festival like the IPL is naturally bound to attract people to their monitors and television screens.

"I think cricket fans were a bit disappointed when it was postponed and nothing was certain about the fate of the tournament. But now they (fans) are looking forward to seeing some live cricket, so I feel this year's viewership will be the highest ever and this year's IPL should be bigger than last year as well.”

"It is also the hard work and patience of all our members in the BCCI and the IPL officials; they have put in a lot of hard work to make it happen. To start with, it was the Indian government who gave us the nod to host the IPL abroad; and I would also like to thank ECB, who willingly wanted to have IPL in the UAE.

"See, there is no hold on the pandemic, no one could control it, so we had to keep waiting and watching and find out where and when we can play. It was in no one's hand. It could be anywhere, but UAE had controlled the Covid-19 situation. We are taking care of all the guidelines and giving priority to the health and safety of players, which is no doubt paramount for us.”