Former South African worldwide and Royal Challengers participant AB de Villiers referred to the Indian Premier League as not solely the largest cricket league but additionally the largest sports activities league on the earth.

The seventeenth version of the Indian Premier League begins this Friday (March 22) with a blockbuster conflict between defending champions Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore on the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk, Chennai.

Speaking at CNN-News18’s Rising Bharat Summit, de Villiers mentioned, “It [the IPL] definitely is [the centrepiece of cricket]. It’s grown from energy to energy over time. It’s not solely the largest cricket league on the earth; I believe it’s one of many greatest sports activities leagues on the earth, which is kind of one thing to have been achieved over such a brief interval. We’ve seen it actually explode over the previous few years.

“The performances the gamers put in actually make them family names. And a number of the foreigners coming over right here get to know a bit extra concerning the Indian tradition and in addition turn into family names over right here. So it’s actually exceptional. It’s an incredible alternative for all gamers, and never solely gamers however directors and everybody, to get entangled. And I believe the cricket followers have actually loved it over time,” mentioned the South African.

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De Villiers, who retired from international cricket in 2018 and the IPL in 2021, will be part of JioCinema’s commentary team for IPL 2024 and said he is looking forward to ‘a lot of fun’ during his commentary stint.

“Well, over there at Jio Cinema, we’ve got a fantastic team. So I really feel at home. It’s not an individual sport, which helps a lot. It’s nice to have teammates around you, and we have a lot of fun. That’s also part of our strength over there. We are still cricket players. I still feel like I just played the other day. So that’s the way we commentate as well. We really give the fans and the audience a bit of an insight into what it feels like to go through those moments, the pressure moments, what it feels like in the changing room, what it feels like to lose and also to win. And I think that’s what makes it really,” he mentioned.

On the panel was additionally former Australian worldwide Brett Lee, who mentioned the IPL has introduced lots of totally different cultures loads nearer collectively.

“I believe what the Indian Premier League has carried out is that it’s truly introduced lots of totally different cultures loads nearer collectively. In my first three years, I believe it was taking part in for Kings XI [KXIP], the Punjab Kings again then, and seeing how totally different guys ready. You acquired guys from South Africa, clearly, gamers from India and all around the world, and simply the totally different preparations that they undergo. And I believe it’s introduced the cricket nations loads nearer collectively.

“It doesn’t imply that if you get the prospect to play towards them on a nationwide scale, that camaraderie remains to be there, that zeal, that aggression remains to be there, however it simply transcends and really finds a option to take that angst out of the sport. And that’s what the Indian Premier League has carried out. It simply will get higher and higher and higher. I at all times joke that the toughest half about taking part in within the Indian Premier League wasn’t essentially the coaching and the bowling. It was the afterparty, and attempting to get better from that. So that was lots of enjoyable. It modified,” remembered Lee.