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CM wishes teams the best as DDCA’s DPL off to a flying start
The second edition of the expanded franchise T20 league gets off with a glitzy inauguration at the Arun Jaitley Stadium
New Delhi: The second edition of the Delhi Premier League (DPL) T20 tournament, organised by the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), was off to a flamboyant start on Saturday with a star-studded opening ceremony and an enthusiastic on-field performance. The event, held at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, saw the presence of top political and cricketing dignitaries, celebrating the league’s growing stature in the capital’s cricketing ecosystem.
The curtain-raiser featured performances by artists Seedhe Maut, KRSNA, Sunanda Sharma and Raftaar. The evening was graced by Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta, former union minister Smriti Irani, BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla and DDCA president Rohan Jaitley. Other prominent DDCA officials present included vice-president Shikha Kumar, secretary Ashok Sharma, joint secretary Amit Grover, directors Shyam Sunder Sharma, Vikas Katyal and Navdeep Malhotra, and ICA nominees Rajkumar Sharma and Renuka Dua.
Speaking at the ceremony, DDCA president Rohan Jaitley said, “Today, we are commencing the second season of Delhi Premier League. This was a dream of the apex body last year. After a successful first season, we aimed to make it bigger, better and grander to showcase the best talent. We have added two more teams in the men’s league with a total of eight teams now and a total of four teams in the women’s edition.”
Delhi CM Rekha Gupta lauded the initiative and said, “A huge congratulations to the people of Delhi, the entire team of DDCA, DDCA president Rohan Jaitley, VP BCCI Rajeev Shukla. Today’s programme is graced by our beloved Smriti Irani. A big round of applause to the teams, captains, the players and DDCA.”
She further added, “Last year too, DPL in its inaugural season made an impact in Delhi. Its players made it to both domestic and international stages. It provided them with a big platform and gave Delhi a new identity. The youth of Delhi found a platform to showcase their path and scale new heights. My best wishes for the month-long league and wishing that it keeps the city of Delhi entertained.”
In the opening match, defending champions East Delhi Riders made a strong start after South Delhi Superstarz opted to bat first. At the halfway stage of the first innings, East Delhi had reduced their opponents to 60/4. Opener Sarthak Ray top scored with an unbeaten 41 off 36 while.
Although skipper Ayush Badoni was looking in good touch, Akhil Chaudhary (1/35) got the better of him just before the powerplay. The rest of the batting line-up did not show much of a fight but all-rounder Abhishek Khandelwal (40) combined with Ray to help Superstarz finish with 169/6. Left-arm pacer Ajay Ahlawat and right-arm pacer Ashish Meena picked up two wickets each for Riders.
