It may not have been another IPL, but the Bharat Premier League, as the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Cricket Tournament has been dubbed, outdid its urban counterpart in sheer scale.
The tournament lasted a whopping two months, and was mostly played in the villages, sometimes up to 100 matches were played on some days. Keeping the anniversary of the First War of Indian Independence firmly in mind, in all 1857 teams from Amethi participated in the tournament. According to a Congress spokesperson, the Bharat Premier League involved 30,000 players, 212 umpires, 131 scorers and 140 grounds. The organisers provided 3,714 bats (two per team) and 11,000 balls to the teams.
Monday's final was even telecast on DD Sports, which set off its own controversy with the Opposition quick to question how many rural events are shown live on Doordarshan. In all, Congress leaders believe some 45 lakh watched the matches at various grounds.
For the 20,000 who saw the final at the stadium's matting wicket, it was a dream come true when Rahul Gandhi tossed the coin at 2 pm. Making up for the absence of cheerleaders was a CRPF band belting out brass music.
Image: Players in action at the final of the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Cricket Tournament in Amethi on Monday.
Also see: Rahul Gandhi: Up Close & Personal
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