IPL chairman Brijesh Patel has said that it is "very satisfying" to see the 13th edition taking place.
After a long wait and multiple suspensions, the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League will finally kick off later today when the previous year's champions, Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings meet in Abu Dhabi.
After initially suspending the IPL for 15 days until April 15, the BCCI suspended the tournament indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic. Later, the IPL was shifted to the United Arab Emirates owing to rising cases of COVID-19 in India.
IPL chairman Brijesh Patel has said that it is "very satisfying" to see the IPL taking place after so many complications.
"It is very satisfying to see IPL happening after all the hurdles on the way. Finally, we are able to make it happen but this is only the beginning as it is a long tournament so we can not afford to be complacent but definitely, it is very satisfying," Patel told ANI.
"I think cricket fans were bit disappointed when it was (IPL) postponed and nothing was certain about the fate for the tournament. But now they (fans) are looking forward to seeing some live cricket so I feel this year's viewership will be highest ever and this year's IPL should be bigger than last year as well," he added.
He further insisted that the BCCI holds the safety of everyone taking part in the IPL paramount.
"See there is no hold on the pandemic, no one could control it so we had to keep waiting and watching and find out that 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," he added.
The IPL 2020 will take place between September 19 to November 10.
