IPL 2020: Sourav Ganguly Not Surprised By The Record-Breaking Success Of The Touranament

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly deserves plenty of credit for making the IPL 2020 happen amid the COVID-19 pandemic creating plenty of uncertainties. The ongoing edition of the extravaganza is taking place in the UAE behind closed doors with several restrictions and rule changes; however, the fan-base has increased even more. And Sourav Ganguly is not surprised by the same.

The 13th edition of IPL was initially scheduled for the 29th of March and then the 15th of April. However, with the COVID-19 exploding around the world and the rapidly creeping cases in India, BCCI had do delay it indefinitely. Over the next few months, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and the UAE emerged as the possible contenders to host the competition. Eventually, the BCCI booked UAE as the venue since the COVID-19 situation was stable and having hosted it before as well.

Sourav Ganguly labelled the IPL 2020 success as unbelievable but at the same time, was not surprised by the same. He recalled discussing with the official broadcasters whether the tournament should go ahead or not and one month before it, were unsure about the effectiveness of the bio-bubble.

“Unbelievable (ratings have gone through the roof). I am not surprised with that. We were discussing with Star (official broadcasters) and all the people concerned, whether we should do it or not. One month before the tournament, we were not sure. We weren’t sure whether the bio-bubble would be effective,” Ganguly stated as quoted by India Today.

“We felt life should return to normalcy” : Sourav Ganguly

The former Indian captain underlined that despite the doubtfulness, they proceeded, feeling that life must return to normal and wanting the game back. Ganguly claimed not feeling surprised with the feedback as the IPL is sending the records tumbling in terms of viewership and ratings. Sourav Ganguly pointed out the super overs, KL Rahul’s batting, Shikhar Dhawan’s batting, the come-from-behind-wins, unexpected performers and the youngsters showcasing their skills.

“No one knew what was going to happen but we trusted and went ahead. We felt life should return to normalcy, we wanted the game to come back. I am not surprised with the feedback. It’s the best tournament in the world. I can bet you, the IPL has been smashing success in terms of the ratings, the number of people who are watching. Look at the number of super overs, there was a double super (KXIP vs MI) over. Look at Shikhar Dhawan’s batting, look at Rohit Sharma, look at youngsters who are performing, KL Rahul, look at Chris Gayle’s comeback,” he added.

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