Mangaluru: The most awaited cricket tournament of the city, by the city and for the city was inaugurated with great pomp by former Indian Cricket Team Captain Mohammad Azharuddin. The 12 contending teams are all set and pumped up to play the tournament after a gala inauguration and umpteen number of practice sessions.
The event began as the participants of various teams marched and took their place in front of the stage. Soon after, organizers of MPL 2016 Sirajuddin and Imthiyaz welcomed the dignitaries and audience by saying, “We as organizers are very happy that the teams have taken this game seriously. We wish all the players to give their best in this tournament and make it as successful as last year.”
Top members of the organizing committee Zakaria Jokatte of Al-Muzzain and Sharief of Whitestone expressed their happiness in looking at the event have a successful beginning. “I have a vision to see the same players play for bigger leagues soon after MPL 2016 is over. They can use this event as a stepping stone to reach greater heights”, Zakaria mentioned.
Speaking to the gathering of players and commoners, debut test match record holder Mohammad Azharuddin said, “Mangaluru is well known for it’s contribution to sports as K L Rahul from the city is playing for Indian cricket team. At the pace at which it is going, Mangalore Premier League will soon compete with Karnataka Premier League and achieve great success.”
He further went on to say, “There are a lot of cricket enthusiasts in Mangaluru but there is no dedicated cricket field. The city must have a cricket stadium soon so that there is a place for cricketers to practice and at the same time, encourage new cricketers to start playing.”
As he wanted to start playing a match after a long time, Azharuddin was accompanied by the other dignitaries to launch MPL 2016. With a flick of a remote switch there were fireworks and music to mark the inauguration of the tournament. He then went backstage to get ready for a match with MPL organizers team Azhar XI against Mangalorean actors’ cricket team ‘Tulu Roaring Stars’ captained by actor Arjun Kapikad.
The social media is infact seeing a lot of posts on Mangaloreans tagging themselves at Ambedkar Stadium near NMPT and commenting on how Azharuddin has made a comeback after a long break in cricket.
