NEW DELHI: The season -2 of East Delhi Premier League (EDPL), a tournament which promises to provide a platform to budding talent from East Delhi, started on Sunday at the newly upgraded Yamuna sports complex. In the opening match, which was played between Vishwas Nagar Devils and Gandhi Nagar Gladiators, Vishwas Nagar won by 9 wickets.
The inaugural ceremony of the league was inaugurated by Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva with former Indian cricketer and MP Gautam Gambhir unveiling the trophy and draft teams to their owners. Apart from this, the team jerseys were also launched.
Appreciating the role of Gautam Gambhir for starting this tournament on a large scale, the Delhi BJP President said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Khelo India program is going on across the country and it is giving players a chance to show their better performance.
While speaking at the event Gautam Gambhir said, “I’m not one to care about speeches and optics. I just care about my promises to the people of East Delhi. One of these promises is that East Delhi will be known for its sport’s infrastructure. This second season of EDPL in Yamuna Sports Complex is testament of that”.
The former two-time World Cup winner added that the league is for every talented player who could not pursue his dreams due to lack of resources and his aim is to take PM Narendra Modi’s vision of Khelo India forward through the tournament.
In EDPL Season- 2, 10 teams each from a Vidhan Sabha constituency of East Delhi will clash and prize money for a Rs 1 Crore prize are up for grabs. The tournament will give an opportunity to people of 17 to 36 years of age to showcase their cricketing talent. The league will also provide an opportunity to people of Delhi to watch day and night matches at the sports complex.
In the last season, the prize money was 50 lakh rupees. The league matches will be played among 10 teams namely Vishwas Nagar Devils, Shahdara Avengers, Laxmi Nagar Warriors, Krishna Nagar Royals, Gandhi Nagar Gladiators, Patparganj Panthers, Okhla Tigers, Jangpura Lions, Trilokpuri Stars and Kondli Kings. In season one, the Patparganj team defeated Krishna Nagar by 17 runs and lifted the trophy.