The opening ceremony of the UP T20 league saw mesmerising performances by Dhurandhar singer Jasmine Sandals , and singers Shankar Mahadevan with sons Siddharth and Shivam Mahadevan. The ceremony was recently held at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Cricket Stadium.
Meerut’s team won the match. Besides the singers, the surprise attraction of the day was the presence of firebrand batsman and Team India opener Abhishek Sharma , along with UPT20 brand ambassador and ex-cricketer Suresh Raina. As they presented the Lehra Do song, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Team India’s star batsman Abhishek Sharma with Suresh Raina walked in amidst huge cheers from the audience. Thereafter they presented Vande Matram , Om Deva Deva , Chak De India , Yeh Desh Hai Veer Jawano Ka , followed by Sabse Aage Hongey Hindustani . The chief minister also joined them on the stage with dignitaries. Captains and owners of all the six teams – Gorakhpur Lions Squad, Kanpur Superstars, Kashi Rudras, Noida Super Kings, Lucknow Falcons, and Meerut Mavericks – were present on the occasion. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath encouraged the players by performing the ritual of the toss ceremony. The opening match was played between Rinku Singh-led Meerut Mavericks and Karan Sharma-led Kashi Rudras.
He said that the tournament is doing a great job in finding new talent from different parts of the state. UPT20 chairman Sanjay Kapoor said, “This is UP’s cricketing Utsav and for the first time the tournament is being played in both Lucknow and Kanpur.
