As the nation continues to fight the difficult battle of survival against COVID-19 pandemic, chairman of the Delhi Capitals (DC) team in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Parth Jindal, feels the league's 13th edition, whenever it is played, will have a "huge role in uplifting the spirits" of everyone.
Originally due to start on March 29, the IPL 2020 remains indefinitely postponed because of the deadly outbreak.
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"COVID-19 has put live sport in a difficult spot, especially in terms of fan engagement. The need for live sport has never been felt in this way before, and it’s vital to bring it back to heighten the morale of the population," said Jindal during a live chat on Delhi Capitals’ official Instagram page on Wednesday (May 27).
"Globally, there are countries worse affected than India who are gradually resuming their national leagues like the Premier League in England, and Bundesliga in Germany. Talks have begun on the NBA’s comeback in America too. I feel the IPL has a huge role in uplifting the spirits of the country."
"There can be no substitute for live sport. Fans may not have access to stadiums this year, but that will give the franchises and broadcasters an opportunity to innovate their fan engagement even more,” added Jindal.
Speculations are rife over possible new windows for IPL 2020 later in the year.
For Delhi, there is much to look forward to the season, having reached the play-offs under a new set-up after seven long years in the previous edition.
"2019 was about setting standards, and creating a culture. And Ricky (head coach Ricky Ponting) and Dada (advisor Sourav Ganguly) did a wonderful job of it, creating a fantastic team environment, and a unit that gelled well on and off the field," said Jindal.
"The idea was to build this team by maintaining consistency, so instead of frequent chop and change, we decided to back all our players even if they’d had a couple of bad games, and the results were there (for everyone) to see," he added.
Delhi even defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the eliminator at Visakhapatnam, but the Shreyas Iyer-led side lost to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the second qualifier.
Yet, there were plenty of positives throughout the campaign for the team to be optimistic of its chances in IPL 2020.
(Inputs from PTI)
