Anubhav to perform in OPL opening

Get ready for a spectacular opening ceremony of the second edition of Odisha Premier League. Despite key sponsors missing this time, the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that Barabati Stadium is the place to be on May 1.

“We are negotiating with several media and corporate houses to sponsor jerseys of the teams taking part in the state’s Twenty20 cricket tournament,” said OCA secretary Ashirbad Behera.

He said actors Anubhav, Navya, Pappu Pom Pom as well as popular artistes such as Abhijit Majumdar and Muskan would be seen performing live before the audience at the opening ceremony.

The cricket association plans to organise the event on a budget of Rs 2 crore.

The association has decided to bear all the expenses of the tournament as most of the franchise owners, who owned teams in the first edition of the Odisha Premier League (OPL) in 2011, pulled out of the tourney last year.

A display of pyrotechnics will be an added attraction this time.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik is likely to attend the opening ceremony of the Twenty20 cricketing extravaganza that will see eight teams — Barabati, Dhauli, Baitarini, Subarnarekha, Mahanadi, Rushikulya, Konark and Chilika — taking part, Behera added.

An OCA official said all the matches of OPL-II would be played simultaneously at Barabati Stadium from (May 2 to 12) and at VSS stadium, Sambalpur (May 3 to 8).

For the first time, the cricket association has decided to install cameras parallel to the popping crease to enable fair decisions in case of run-outs and stumping.

The eight teams have been selected by the selection committee of the cricket association from a pool of 176 players earlier placed in five grades of the state’s cricket board.

Each team consists of 22 players, including three players each from Grade-A and B, two players each from Grade C and D and one player from Grade E (local cricketers). (Source – The Telegraph)