As the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2021) set to get underway from Friday (April 9) in Chennai, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) mentor VVS Laxman has expressed his delight as the world’s biggest T20 extravaganza is going to thrill the world over the next eight weeks.
On Friday, the IPL 2021 is going to kick start with a cracker contest between the defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) led by Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Chennai, and Laxman said “there is the inevitable sense of expectant anticipation” about it.
Laxman wrote in his column for Times of India: “A brand new season of the world's most widely followed T20 league is just a few hours away, and there is the inevitable sense of expectant anticipation. This season, more than ever before, all eight teams in the Indian Premier League, wear a formidable look, which guarantees thrills galore over the next eight weeks.”
The legendary Indian batsman further added, “History suggests it's crucial to begin well and get on a roll, though there have been instances of teams mounting a late charge towards the later part of the league phase and riding that momentum through the playoffs.”
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Last year, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the IPL 2020 and shifted to the United Arab Emirates, but this year, the IPL 14 returns to India despite the worst Coronavirus situation, though, the matches will be played behind closed doors with the bio-secure bubbles set up at six venues across the country.
Commenting on the same, SRH mentor said: “The tournament is back in India after the UAE adventure last time around, which was impeccably organized and went by without any glitches. The challenges are more daunting, especially with the second wave of the pandemic sweeping through the country and the caseloads mounting every day.
It is incumbent on everyone associated with the tournament to remain disciplined and strictly adhere to the Standard Operating Procedures so that all the action is focused on what happens out in the middle and we come out victorious in our battle against the coronavirus.”
He added, “There were concerns last year that the intensity of the players might drop as they play in front of empty stands and spend the duration of the tournament in bio-secure bubbles. Those fears were unfounded; digging deep into mental and physical reserves, the players put on a show to remember. Last season was the closest ever, just one win separating the fourth-placed team from the side that finished last.”
As the last year in the UAE, there will be no home advantage for the teams in the IPL 2021, and Laxman said: “Now, even though the tournament is back home, no team will have the advantage of playing in their own backyard, which provides the level-playing field so crucial to a tournament of this nature.”
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Several players have been living bubble-life since the last August due to the Coronavirus outbreak and Laxman hailed all the players for their courage and entertaining the fans despite facing many challenges.
He added, “International players of various nations have been in bubbles almost non-stop from last August, and it's a credit to their fortitude that they have still been able to perform at their best. As management, it's our duty to ensure we take as good care of them as possible - physically and mentally - so that the monotony of living in a bubble doesn't get to them.”
He signed off by saying, “We at Sunrisers Hyderabad have taken over three full floors in our Chennai hotel, with a dedicated swimming pool and gym accessible only to those in our team bubble. The idea is to put the players at ease and make them feel as comfortable as they can under the circumstances, without having to worry about non-cricketing issues. As the Sunrises mentor, I am extremely excited at the resources at our disposal ahead of our opener, against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 11.”
(With TOI Inputs)
