Emphasising on the importance of Indian Premier League (IPL), cricketer-turned-politician Gautam Gambhir has said that the T20 league will change the mood of the nation.
After days of speculation, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday confirmed that the IPL 13 will be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), starting September 19.
"It does not matter where it goes but if it (IPL) goes to UAE it's a great venue to play cricket in any format and plus most importantly I think it's going to change the mood of the nation as well," the former India opener said on Star Sports show Cricket Connected.
The IPL has been made possible by the ICC's decision to postpone the October-November T20 World Cup in Australia due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
IPL's Governing Council will meet next week to chalk out the final details and approve the schedule.
Gambhir, 38, also said that the 2020 edition of the cash-rich tournament will be bigger than its previous editions.
"It's not about which franchise wins or which player scores runs or which guy takes a wicket, its simply changing the mood of the nation. So this IPL probably will be bigger than the rest of the IPLs because I think this is for the nation," the former Kolkata Knight Riders skipper said.
As per the current health protocol in Dubai, there is no need to be in quarantine if people are carrying a negative COVID-19 test report, but if they are not, they will have to undergo a test.
"The GC will meet shortly but we have finalised the schedule. It will run from September 19 to November 8. We expect the government approval to come through. It is a full 51-day IPL," IPL Chairman Brijesh Patel confirmed on Friday.
Patel said that the Standard Operating Procedure to combat the COVID-19 threat is being prepared and the BCCI will formally write to the Emirates Cricket Board.
"We are making the SOP and it will be ready in a few days. To allow crowd or not depends on the UAE government. Anyway social distancing has to be maintained. We have left it for their government to decide on that. Will also be writing to the UAE board formally," Patel said.
There are three grounds available in the UAE -- Dubai International Stadium, Sheikh Zayed Stadium (Abu Dhabi) and the Sharjah ground.
