Ishfaq-ul-Hassan
SRINAGAR: Forget Asian Cup, Royal Premier League (RPL) in Pulwama has stolen the show!
From Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cheer to the crowds’ enthusiasm, the day-night cricket has turned out to be a real showstopper in Jammu and Kashmir.
A Rs 15 lakh cash prize, Rs 8 lakh for the second runner-up, and a Maruti Alto for the player of the tournament were some of the features of the league. And when Irfan Sarkar started RPL, little did he imagine that South Kashmir would not sleep for one month.
“It was not a tourney for Pulwama only. Nearly 27 teams from Kashmir took part in the one-month event. The tournament started on August 25 and culminated with the win of The Valley Warriors, Srinagar, on Tuesday,” Sarkar told The Kashmir Monitor.
The Valley Warriors took away the cash prize of Rs 15 lakh and a trophy. The Real Sultan, Summerbugh, took away Rs eight lakh. What set the tongues wagging was 20,000 enthusiasts cheering for their teams.
“It was a carnival time for Pulwama. Nearly 20,000 people swarmed the stadium to watch the match. It was like an international setup,” said Sarkar.
In fact, the stadium remained packed throughout the tournament. “Initial matches saw crowds swelling to 60,000,” said Sarkar.
The highlight of the tourney was the professional live streaming of the matches on social media. Organizers had hired a professional camera setup from outside Jammu and Kashmir, which was sharing the feed on social media. Even Asia Cup viewership paled before the League. Thousands of people joined social media to watch the matches.
“We pulled through despite some hiccups initially. We had to set up lights for the match. We hired a professional camera setup from outside J&K. In the end, we are all happy that our league became a huge success,” said Sarkar.
What infused life into the tourney was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s praise. “Thousands of people, especially youth, enjoying cricket at night in Pulwama — it was a sight to behold,” PM Modi said during the 125th episode of Mann Ki Baat on August 31.
Buoyed by the success of this season, the organizers are planning to rope in IPL players for next season. “We wish some IPL players would come and boost the morale of our local cricketers,” said Sarkar.