Ahead of the opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL), former England skipper Michael Vaughan said that the 14th edition of the tournament "should be a cracker" while terming Mumbai Indians as "clear favourites" to win the league.
"Whether people want to like it or not the biggest by a country mile Cricket tournament starts again today ... The #IPL2021 should be a cracker ... @mipaltan clear favourites again ... Good luck to all involved ... !! #India," Vaughan tweeted.
The opening game of IPL season 14 will be played between Royals Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and defending champions Mumbai Indians in Chennai on Friday.
RCB skipper Virat Kohli has said he expects a great game against the defending champions and added that the side will focus on their skills and strength. "I truly believe that we have to focus on our skills and our strengths as a side. Mumbai, obviously, is a champion team they know how to win this competition, we know the strength of their team so if we focus too much on that then we are not gonna focus on what we can do.
"At the end of the day, you are playing cricket which is played on the day in the moment and you could be better than any other guy in the world at that moment," Kohli said in a video posted by the RCB on their official Twitter handle.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Jay Shah on Friday said the board is doing "everything possible" to conduct the IPL in a safe manner and wished players the very best ahead of the tournament opener.
"#IPL returns home. In these trying times, @BCCI is doing everything possible to have a safe @IPL. I wish all the athletes & stakeholders the very best of health & success. @ChennaiIPL @DelhiCapitals @mipaltan @SunRisers @RCBTweets @PunjabKingsIPL @KKRiders @rajasthanroyals," Shah tweeted.
Having weathered the coronavirus wave to an extent, the BCCI gears up for what will be another season of high-voltage clashes in the 14th edition of the IPL.
( With inputs from ANI )
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