Third time lucky!

Carnival Atmosphere

The combination of cricket and movie stars is more intoxicating than any cocktail. This was proven by the number of fans who turned up for the grand finale of the Celebrity Cricket League Season 3 (CCL) held recently, which was larger than the sort of crowd that flocks to a normal match.

The entire stadium was buzzing with excitement, with people getting their faces painted, buying flags and unfurling colourful posters to cheer their favourite stars.

The cherry on the cake was the fact the ‘Karnataka Bulldozers’ (‘KB’) locked horns with the ‘Telugu Warriors’ (‘TW’) during the finals. Both the teams have been good performers through the season and both are pretty popular with the crowd as well.
Metrolife caught up with some of the team players hours before the match and they were visibly nervous and excited as they set off in the bus. Actor Chiranjeevi Sarja, who plays for ‘KB’, said, “We have waited for this the entire season. I’m feeling a bit of every emotion. It’s like your movie is about to release and you don’t know how it will turn out.”

On the field, the match began with ‘KB’ choosing to bat first. Soon enough, two crucial wickets fell and Sudeep and Karthik were out of the game. The crowd was nervous about this but the cheering never stopped. The one question that everyone was asking was whether ‘KB’ would be third time lucky.

Padmini, a student and an aspiring actress, said, “Every season, ‘KB’ reaches the finals and loses. But I am sure that this is their year. They are deserving and I feel that the third time will prove to be lucky for them.”

Nalini, another student, agreed. But for Nalini, the experience of attending the league was the biggest victory. “I am a big fan of Sudeep and Darshan. To watch them on the field is like a dream come true,” she smiled.

While many from Sandalwood made their presence felt on the ground, both the teams had support from other team players as well. Celebrities like Genelia D’Souza, Riteish Deshmukh, Sohail Khan, Manoj Tiwari, Aftab Shivdasani and even Bipasha Basu made it to the venue to cheer them on. Being the brand ambassador of the league, Bipasha said, “It’s easy to have a six-pack but the fitness level on the field is completely different. And I can see how each one of the players has worked hard to maintain that kind of fitness level.”

Sohail Khan was impressed by the crowd in Bangalore. “I just messaged my wife to tune in to the game as it’s like a World Cup match here,” he said. Till half time, the chances of winning or losing were 50-50. But the team owner of ‘KB’, Ashok Kheny, didn’t lose hope. “This is all part and parcel of the game. We have a good fielding side and I know we will bulldoze our way to victory,” he said confidently.

And they sure did. Dhruv Sharma remained unbeaten on 54 runs and the team set the bar of 148 runs after losing five wickets. In response, ‘TW’ could manage to reach only 122 runs after losing seven wickets in 20 overs. And an ecstatic ‘KB’ team and cheering squad ran on to the field and lifted the captain and the cup, making it a picture perfect end to the season.