Former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Rajeev Shukla is confident of the success of the upcoming 13th edition of the IPL in the United Arab Emirates, saying the UAE is the best place for staging the lucrative T20 league given the time difference in India.
Due to the rising Coronavirus cases in India, the BCCI has decided to stage the IPL 2020 from 19th September to 10th November 2020 in the UAE at the sanitized empty stands with players in bio-secure bubbles amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Shukla told ANI on Thursday (August 6): “UAE gives the good response and also broadcast timing fits for India as per time difference. UAE is the best place for IPL.”
One being asked whether the IPL 2020 will be successful, he said: “There is no doubt about it. BCCI's commitment with all cricket fans of conducting IPL every year, this will also be fulfilled.”
Meanwhile, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Vivo India decided to suspend their partnership for IPL in 2020 following the calls for boycotting Chinese products in India after tensions between Indian and Chinese troops at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) last month.
Read Also: IPL 2020: BCCI and VIVO officially suspend their partnership for IPL 13
Reacting to the same, Shukla said: “Vivo and BCCI have mutually decided to suspend Vivo's sponsorship for this season. It will impact revenue and that would be a problem but our prime focus is to start cricket, priority is to start cricket. 182 countries watch cricket. To start cricket this has been done.”
He signed off by saying, “Keeping in the mind current atmosphere, current environment, and current perception this decision has been taken which is fully correct and we endorse that.”
Noteworthy, the IPL 2020 matches will be staged at three venues Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah in the UAE.
(With ANI Inputs)
