DDCA awaits Kohli's return from England to honour him at T20 League

Even as Rohit Sharma enthralled the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, the Vidhan Sabha, where he and his T20 World Cup teammates from Mumbai were honoured after return from the West Indies, the return of Virat Kohli to his hometown lasted merely a few hours on July 4.

Those few hours were spent meeting his brother and family at the ITC Maurya Hotel, which seemed more of pleasantries exchanged in a jiff, and paying audience to Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence.

By afternoon, he had left for Mumbai, the headquarters of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), for the team’s open-top bus ride and felicitation at the Wankhede Stadium in and around which thousands had gathered.

That done, he flew off to London.  

The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), which would have loved to have the World Cup champion around for a few hours, saw their chance of felicitating him disappear. Or probably they knew of his plans and didn’t arrange it. So, the Ferozeshah Kotla grounds of the Arun Jaitley Stadium remained quiet and still. The pavilion named after him more so.

The DDCA is planning a T20 league, likely to be named the Delhi Premier League, on the lines of Tamil Nadu Premier League and the now defunct Karnataka Premier League and Mumbai Premier League. But this will be for both men and women. It is a great idea and will offer opportunity to players. Full points to DDCA on this.  

The league is expected to begin on August 20, as DDCA joint secretary Rajan Manchanda pointed out to www.thedelhijunction.com in a recent report.

Its announcement during the felicitation of Kohli, who announced retirement from T20Is after the match-winning innings in the World Cup final, could have been a grand start and evoked interest from so many big stakeholders, including the cricket-crazy public. 

But then Kohli is hard to get nowadays. He is hardly seen in the area he grew up, the academy he attended and in what is his home ground. Safe to say, he is rarely seen in the Capital nowadays except probably in a few circles.

But Kohli cannot be just allowed to drift away from DDCA, his home association and one that gave him the early platform, without an honour that befits his standing.

If those in the know are correct, the talismanic batsman is in London for two months, which means he will return by the start of September.

The Delhi Premier League (this is what the league is likely to be called), will begin on August 20 and it should near its end by early to mid-September.

It means that he can be here for the last stages of the tournament.

DDCA President Rohan Jaitley was asked if the association will honour the maestro.

“Absolutely, once he returns from England,” said Jaitley to www.thedelhijunction.com.

He also expressed hope that the 35-year-old will return before the proposed T20 league ends.

Of course, Kohli has only retired from the T20 Internationals. He will still be seen in his IPL team’s colours, India’s Test whites and ODI jersey, including in Delhi.

Tags : Virat Kohli in England, Delhi cricket, DDCA