Excitement, enthusiasm, anticipation: NICE DH Cup launched

The launch of NICE DH Cup’s inaugural edition was a memorable event with the enthusiastic sponsors and teams coming together, all fired up, looking forward to the tournament. The matches begin today and will be held on weekends with the final on December 4. Divya Shree captures the momentous occasion.

The NICE DH Cup 2022, Bengaluru’s first intercorporate five-a-side football tournament, was launched at Buffalo Wild Wings, Indiranagar, on Saturday November 12. The participating teams and sponsors came together to celebrate the momentous occasion and usher in the rolling trophy that promises to occupy a prominent place in corporate calendars over the years to come.

The launch party began with Sitaraman Shankar, CEO, The Printers (Mysore) Pvt Ltd welcoming the enthusiastic players and sponsors. “Deccan Herald is marking its 75th year and this happens to be the year of the World Cup. What better way to celebrate than with a festival of football?” he said. Shankar unveiled the glittering DH Cup rolling trophy and released the jerseys.

A special guest at the event, Chitra Gangadharan, former captain of the Indian women’s football team, encouraged the teams. “I am extremely happy with this tournament. You sit at a desk all the time. The game not only refreshes you but also makes you bounce back to work with more vigour”. She called on the corporates to lend a helping hand to promote women’s football. “More women need encouragement and assistance with gear and coaching”, she said.

Sponsors hail initiative

The sponsors appreciated the launch of the rolling trophy.

“We deliver both sports and education at our institution, and support initiatives such as the NICE DH Cup”, said Srinivas T R, Co-founder, The Sports School. Also, representing the title sponsor Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises Ltd (NICE), Srinivas said, “Ashok Kheny, Founder, NICE, loves and encourages sports. NICE is happy to sponsor this tournament”.
Host of the launch event, Madan Gopal, General Manager, Buffalo Wild Wings, said, “It is good to have you all here”, describing the ‘sports theme’ of the restaurant.

“We are happy to be the hydration partners of the NICE DH Cup 2022”, said Aditya Swaroop, Founder, Apah, outlining the goodness of this new product. “We are glad to be a sponsor of this tournament”, said Mansi Srivastava, representing Popeyes, outlining the new additions to their menu. Rahul Tadepalli and Siddharth Pradeep of Plaeto were happy to be a part of the tournament, and said the brand promotes comfort and team spirit.

Teams can hardly wait

The teams are all set for some competitive football. Practice and training have been on since the day they came on board. Speaking at the launch event, the skippers were a bundle of excitement and enthusiasm.

“This is our first competition after the pandemic and we are excited”, said Uday Ogra a member of the Adobe team.

Keeping the spirit high, “I love playing the game no matter how hectic my day has been”, said Rajeev Basu of team BOSCH.

“The experience is so good. This is something new. It is good to meet so many teams and special guests. We are hoping to win the cup,” said Jason Ivan, team Epsilon.

Suraj Ganapati Jadhav, team HL Klemove, said, “We are excited to be a part of this event and to be there on the field”. Srinivas Kempaiah, team IQVIA, said, “It’s a fantastic opportunity for corporates”.

“This initiative helps us connect and network with people through sports and we are excited”, said Newbigin G, member of team Puravankara.

Anand Krishnamurthy, a member of the Swiss Re team, said, “We are happy to see so many teams competing in the inaugural edition of the DH Cup. This launch is firing up the spirit in us”.

“We are happy to be a part of this tournament”, said Sudheera Devadiga, team Tavant.

“This is a terrific start to building a network along with enjoying sports”, said Titan’s Sivashanker Ajjan.

“This is our first competition, and it will be incredibly exciting to participate and win”, said Shylesh Thilagar, member of team Wissen.

A sumptuous meal hosted by Buffalo Wild Wings was a pleasant ending to the launch event.