Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir has said that the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 will “change the mood of the nation.” The 13th edition of the IPL is set to commence on September 19 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

“Doesn’t matter where it goes but obviously it goes to UAE, it’s a great venue to play any format and plus most importantly it is going to change the mood of the nation,” Gambhir said on the Star Sports’ show, ‘Cricket Connected’.

India’s former opening batsman also said that this year’s IPL will be greater that the previous editions, as “this one is for the nation.”

“It’s not about which franchise win, which player score runs, which guy takes wicket, it’s just changing the mood of the nation. So, this IPL probably will be bigger than rest of the IPL because I think this is for the nation,” Gambhir said.

Gambhir who has played 11 editions of the league has led two teams: Delhi Daredevils (DD) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and won the IPL title twice as KKR’s captain.

IPL 2020 was originally set to begin on March 29 but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

IPL Governing Council chairman Brijesh Patel announced on Tuesday that this year’s league will be played in the UAE. This was followed by his Friday’s announcement that games will start on September 19 with the final on November 8.