Mumbai: The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) – set to be played in the UAE from September 19 to November 8 – will change the mood of the Indian nation which has been engulfed by the coronavirus pandemic.

That is the belief of former Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir. Speaking on Star Sports show Cricket Connected, former India opener Gambhir discussed the importance of the IPL this year. “It does not matter where it goes but if it (IPL) goes to UAE it’s a great venue to play cricket in any format and plus most importantly I think it’s going to change the mood of the nation as well.

“It’s not about which franchise wins or which player scores runs or which guy takes a wicket, its simply changing the mood of the nation. So this IPL probably will be bigger than the rest of the IPLs because I think this is for the nation.”

The BCCI is already in touch with arlines such as Emirates and Etihad to check on their flying scheduling from August onwards as teams will look to head to the UAE by the end of August to prepare for the tournament.