Rain almost spoils opening ceremony but all's well that ends well

The Delhi Premier League (DPL) opening ceremony and the inaugural match on Saturday that featured the likes of rapper Raftaar and singer Sunanda Sharma could have ended in a mess if rains had not relented.

The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) spent a whopping Rs 4 crore to give the tournament a grand start, inviting Chief Minister of Delhi Rekha Gupta and former Union Minister Smriti Irani.

The tournament could find a window only in August even though with the threat of monsoon looming.

The ceremony began at 5.30 pm as sparse crowds made their way to the ground. However, soon there was a sizeable crowd – perhaps around 5,000 people. The artists including Raftaar, Sunanda Sharma and Seedhe Maut and while their performances were underway, a drizzle sent them back and stalled the ceremony for some time. That inaugural game was supposed to start at 8 pm but it began half an hour later as proceedings got delayed and the ceremony had to be hastened and cut short.  

Some more rain and the massive ceremony may have ended as a damp squib. Thankfully, the skies relented and all was well as it ended well. 

“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 now eight teams and a total of four teams in the women’s edition,” said DDCA President Rohan Jaitley.

The Chief Minister Rekha Gupta praised the initiative, DPL, saying that it has added to sporting culture of the city and provided opportunity to youngsters.

Here are some glimpses from the ceremony:

Raftaar performing at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday. He is a well-known rapper

Sunanda Sharma also took to the stage. She is a popular singer and actor

Seedhe Maut also performed. They are into hip hop

Tags : DPL, Delhi Premier League, Rekha Gupta, Chief Minister, Sunanda Sharma, Raftaar, Rohan Jaitley