NEW DELHI: Rajasthan Royals' Robin Uthappa believes the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is going to be "really special" and it will bring the "feeling of normalcy back into our lives" amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
"Very happy to get back to playing, competing, and not just individually but as a team. I think that's what I enjoyed a lot more... Most definitely, it is going to be really special this year, simply because of what we all have gone through as a human race," Uthappa said in a video posted on IPL's official website.
"I think in this unpredictable time, we were and are craving for normalcy and this tournament and sports, in general, bring about that feeling of normalcy back into our lives," he added.
Heading into the tournament, Uthappa has cleared the team's intention saying that they are going into the IPL with the desire of winning it.
"... Indians and cricket lovers all around the world will really be looking forward to this tournament. So, in that sense, it is a big, big IPL. Having said that, I think as any other team, our desire and intention is to go out there and compete extremely well and hopefully win the tournament," he said.
Praising Yashasvi Jaiswal, Uthappa said, "Yashasvi is a really exciting player for the future. I think he has performed extremely well in domestic cricket and having more IPL will be good for him in his pursuit of playing for India."
The 13th edition of the league gets underway on September 19 and will be played across three venues -- Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah. Defending champions Mumbai Indians will take on Chennai Super Kings in the opening game of the season.