Kolkata, June 2 (PTI): Memories of the 2012′s grand felicitation of Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens are set to be re-lived with the West Bengal government and Cricket Association of Bengal having planned a similar programme at the same venue Tuesday morning.
All the roads on Tuesday will lead up to Eden Gardens, KKR’s home venue, and the entry will be free for the fans to join the felicitation programme, CAB joint secretary Subir Ganguly said.
“Eden Gardens gates will be open from 11.30am to 3.30pm and everybody is welcome to join in the grand victory march tomorrow (Tuesday). We have all plans to make the victory doubly memorable,” Ganguly, who is with the KKR team, told PTI from Bangalore.
He further said CAB supremo Jagmohan Dalmiya will call on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the state secretariat (Nabanna) this afternoon to finalise the programme.
The CAB official also said he would land in the city with the triumphant KKR team members and the Trophy at 7pm on Monday.
Team Mamata had come under sharp criticism after showering KKR with gold medals and gold chains in an extravagant felicitation after their maiden IPL triumph in season five, two years ago.
It will be interesting to see how the state supremo goes about the felicitation this time around especially when the West Bengal government is under scrutiny in the wake of Saradha chit fund scam.
Earlier, the West Bengal chief minister had congratulated Kolkata Knight Riders and its co-owner Shah Rukh Khan for their second IPL triumph, last night in Bangalore.
“Congratulations… KKR; Congratulations… Shah Rukh,” Mamata posted on her official Facebook page moments after Piyush Chawla hit the winning boundary to seal a three-wicket chase with three balls to spare against Kings XI Punjab in a pulsating IPL-VIII final.
Thousands of KKR fans waving purple-gold flags, and screaming team slogan ‘Korbo, Lorbo, Jeetbo Re!’ poured into the streets of Kolkata while firecrackers lit up the skyline after the Gautam Gambhir-skippered side won their second IPL title, something that had earlier achieved by Chennai Super Kings.
Mamata had earlier conveyed her best wishes to Shah Rukh who is also the brand ambassador of West Bengal as the Bollywood heart throb had called on the CM at her residence after their team sailed into the final with a win over the same KXIP in the first qualifier May 28.