Greater Noida (UP), Feb 29 : Former Indian domestic cricketer Abhishek Jhunjhunwala has expressed his admiration for the inaugural edition of the Indian Veteran Premier League (IVPL), highlighting the tournament's exceptional concept and high-quality cricket matches.

Jhunjhunwala, who plays for Mumbai Champions in the ongoing IVPL, was pleasantly surprised to see the standard of game being played in the League. The IVPL is being played from February 23 to March 3 here at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex in Greater Noida.

"It's a great tournament and initially when we came, we didn't realise how good the standard of cricket would be. Some excellent local players with some icon players, so I think it's a great concept and the tournament so far has been brilliant," Jhunjhunwala said after Mumbai Champions crushed VVIP Uttar Pradesh by 8 wickets in the 11th match of IVPL on Wednesday.

Unbeaten knocks of Abhishek (69 off 38 balls) and Peter Trego (41 off 29 balls) helped Mumbai in registering this win. Skipper Virender Sehwag also smashed 35 runs in 23 balls as he arrived here in Greater Noida to play in IVPL.

Abhishek was a proper menace for Uttar Pradesh bowlers as he romped them for seven fours and 3 maximums.

Reflecting on his performance, Abhishek said, "Could have been better but luckily I got ourselves over the line. So good knock for me today (Feb 28), not out, won the match, that's what you play for. In the previous game I batted well but got out at the wrong time. But, overall, the experience of the IVPL has been very good for all of us."

Offering words of wisdom to aspiring cricketers, the right-handed batter emphasized the importance of hard work and passion. "Just work hard. Just passion, play for the love of the game. More than anything else and just enjoy it," Abhishek signed off.

Following their resounding victory, Mumbai Champions are slated to face Rajasthan Legends on Friday.

/IANS