Looking forward to the new season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Delhi Capitals welcomed the IPL Governing Council’s decision to organise the 13th edition of IPL in the United Arab Emirates, owing to the Covid-19 pandemic in India.
The tournament will be held from 19 September to 10 November, across three venues in the UAE — Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi.
Delhi Capitals captain Shreyas Iyer said, “Amid the challenging times put forward by the Covid-19 pandemic, it was one of the best news that I have heard in a long time. We’re definitely going to miss our Delhi fans in the stadium, they were a crucial part of our success last year.”
Speaking on the commencement of the new season, team co-owner and chairman Parth Jindal said, “There is no doubt that the news of the IPL taking place has come as a breath of fresh air for all of us. The fact that the IPL is going to be conducted amidst such challenging times is another testament to the BCCI and to IPL’s global standing as one of the top leagues amongst all sports in the world.”
“To our Delhi Capitals fans, I would like to stress on how important your support is going to be for our team, even though you will not be able to make it to the stadiums this year. It will be our endeavor to keep you engaged remotely throughout the tournament in the best and most innovative way possible”, Jindal added.
Delhi Capitals CEO Dhiraj Malhotra believes the upcoming edition will be a significant one. “It’s never an easy decision to have to host an Indian Premier League outside India. However, given the current circumstances, I believe this is going to be a very significant edition of the tournament, not just for the league, but the sport of cricket itself. The UAE has played host to some IPL matches earlier, and I’m sure that experience will come in handy, even though the challenges will be very different this time around. I’m confident all measures will be taken for 100% safe conduct of the tournament,” Malhotra said.