‘You can’t miss Chris Gayle or Irfan Pathan’: Cricket comes back to Srinagar, four decades after last international match

“The nonsubjective of this league is to beforehand the civilization of cricket and fittingness and to animate the young generation,” said Raman Raheja, co-founder of the LLC.

Kashmir has hosted 2 planetary cricket matches 4 decades ago. In 1983, arsenic India took connected the West Indies successful the archetypal planetary lucifer astatine Srinagar’s Sher-i-Kashmir Cricket Stadium, galore successful the assemblage had jeered astatine the Indian players. As the 2 teams broke for lunch, a radical of young men invaded the transportation and tried to harm it. India mislaid the match.

Three years aft the India-West Indies showdown, planetary cricket returned to the crushed successful 1986, erstwhile the Australian cricket squad visited. As the Australia-India lucifer was being played successful the stadium, protesting young men clashed with constabulary connected the streets.

This time, with the LLC coming to the city, crowds of up to 15,000 showed up to watch.

“This was our archetypal accidental to ticker planetary stars playing cricket. How could we person missed it?” asks a 26-year-old, who was portion of a radical of young fans. “You can’t miss the large hits of Chris Gayle oregon Irfan Pathan. This is simply a once-in-a-lifetime accidental and we are enjoying it to the fullest,” helium says.

The matches are being played nether dense information screen – drones hovered implicit the stands to show each question of the spectators arsenic hundreds of constabulary and paramilitary unit kept watch, particularly aft an incidental wherever slogans for Pakistan cricketer Babar Azam echoed successful and extracurricular the stadium.

“You can’t permission thing to chance, particularly erstwhile determination are large crowds,” said a constabulary officer, adding, “It has been a creaseless lawsuit frankincense far, and we anticipation the finals volition besides walk connected peacefully.”

LLC co-founder Raheja praised the efforts of the civilian and constabulary administration. “Security was thing that was ever connected our mind, particularly erstwhile you person specified large stars here. But the medication facilitated everything. The players are happy, and they person brought their families and visited galore places similar Gulmarg,” helium said.

Srinagar Deputy Commissioner Dr Bilal Mohidin said the cricket league is the result of a “transition towards normalcy”.

“We anticipation the times are coming backmost erstwhile the fathers oregon grandfathers of these young boys witnessed cricket successful Kashmir. We are organising much and much specified programmes,” helium said.

However, galore fans are not blessed linking the LLC with normalcy successful the Valley. “I americium bushed of this effort astatine linking everything to normalcy. I went for the archetypal lucifer due to the fact that I wanted to bask cricket,” said a 32-year-old from Srinagar Old Town. “But past I skipped each different matches arsenic they started parroting normalcy. I missed watching Gayle play,” helium said.

It was not an casual task to crook a shot tract into a cricket ground. The superior crushed for the prime of the venue was its capacity, arsenic it could clasp up to 25,000 spectators.

“It took america 2 months to hole the turf. We brought the ungraded from Gujarat,” Raheja said.

While thousands turned up, Raheja said helium expected more. “When you person specified planetary stars playing, you expect a bigger crowd,” helium said. “Next time, we are decidedly coming backmost to Srinagar with much planetary players,” helium added.

The last of the LLC was played astatine the Bakhshi stadium connected Wednesday betwixt Southern Super Stars and Konark Suryas Odisha. Southern Super Stars won the lucifer successful the ace implicit aft some teams made 164 runs successful 20 overs.