Bollywood actors Akshay Kumar, Imran Khan and Sonakshi Sinha were among the thousands of cricket-crazy fans that thronged the Eden Gardens here on Wednesday to watch the first match of the IPL-VI.
Clad in white tees with ‘Once Upon a Time in IPL’ inscribed, they were seen promoting their upcoming film ‘Once Upon a Time in Mumbai’ during the Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Daredevils tie.
“We have just came here because its the beginning...the first day of the IPL. This is a different experience altogether, you will never get it watching a match anywhere,” said Akshay.
Praising the passion of Kolkatans when it comes to sports, he said some of his Australian cricketer friends have also told him that they have never experienced something like this anywhere in the world.
When asked which team is he supporting Akshay said: “The teams playing in IPL are Indians. And whenever there is a match, I always say that may the best team win”.
Legend Sunil Gavaskar, meanwhile, said he specially liked the IPL-Bollywood connection. “The opening ceremony was terrific. I particularly liked the Indian film industry connection. Because that’s what the premier league is all about, Pitbull was also very very good, there’s no question about it. But what Shah Rukh Khan did along with Deepika and Katrina was fantastic,” Gavaskar told a TV channel.
CAB sees red
While the dazzling and extravagant IPL opening ceremony at the Salt Lake stadium on Wednesday caught the fancy of all and sundry, it was a case of sour grapes for the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), with many of its members and associates giving it a miss.
Its demand for tickets was also not met, which left officials grumbling.
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