Stars descend on pulsating PCA Stadium

Deepankar Sharda

Tribune News Service

Mohali, May 3

Braving the scorching sun, the spectators at the PCA IS Bindra Cricket Stadium, Mohali, had relief when they were greeted by Sunny Leone, Sachin Tendulkar, Jonty Rhodes, Ricky Ponting and Preity Zinta, during the Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians match here today.

Adding to the spirit, the spectators had a breathtaking day while spotting their favourite stars. The visiting side of Mumbai Indians suddenly observed the shift in their fan following after Sunny Leone came to the ground while wearing Kings XI jersey. Excited about her maiden visit to Mohali, the Indo-Canadian actress twitted ‘Headed to my first @kxip game at Mohali!Super excited’. Meanwhile, the spectators were on their toes when the actress reached the ground. “It’s always exciting to watch players but for a change, Sunny Leone is something really excited,” stated Gursimran Singh, a spectator.

The roar became louder when Sachin Tendulkar, mentor of Mumbai Indian, reached at the ground. The spectators gave a standing ovation to the legend. “He deserves a warm welcome. Sachin’s presence is enough to make people happy even under the scorching sun,” said Prtibhit Gangta. While another fan added, “Mumbai Indians is a star studded side. Even their coaching staff consists of living legends. I have shelled out the money for the tickets just to watch these legends,” said Sandhya Rahgav. The Kings XI side will play their next match against Royal Challengers, Bangalore, on May 13.

Meanwhile, tight security arrangements were made to control huge rush of spectators. The absence of separate queues for women at all gates made things tough. The spectators also complained of overcharging by the vendors inside the stadium. People residing nearby the PCA stadium complained of disturbance.

The hosts faced the second consecutive defeat at their home ground. Earlier, Sunrise Hyderabad had defeated Kings XI Punjab. On Sunday, Mumbai Indians defeated Kings XI by 23 runs. Batting first, the visiting side scored 172 runs. The Kings XI side is currently at the bottom of the points’ table.