Photographs: BCCI
Memories of the 2012 grand felicitation of Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata are set to be relived, with the West Bengal government and Cricket Association of Bengal having planned a similar programme at the same venue on Tuesday morning.
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All roads will lead to Eden Gardens, KKR's home venue, and entry will be free for fans to join the felicitation programme, CAB joint-secretary Subir Ganguly said.
"Eden Gardens gates will be open from 11.30 am to 3.30 pm and everybody is welcome to join in the grand victory march tomorrow. We have all plans to make the victory doubly memorable," Ganguly, who is with the KKR team, said from Bangalore.
He further said CAB supremo Jagmohan Dalmiya will call on West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee at the state secretariat (Nabanna) on Monday afternoon to finalise the programme.
The CAB official also said he will land in the city with the triumphant KKR team members and IPL trophy on Monday at 7 pm.
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 the fifth edition of the T20 tournament 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 a recent controversy.
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'Congratulations... KKR; Congratulations... Shah Rukh'
Image: Shah Rukh Khan with his daughter SuhanaPhotographs: BCCI
Earlier, the West Bengal chief minister congratulated Kolkata Knight Riders and Shah Rukh Khan on their second IPL triumph.
"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 victory, with three balls to spare, over Kings XI Punjab in the final in Bangalore on Sunday night.
Thousands of KKR fans waving purple-gold flags, and the 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 the IPL for the second time, a feat only achieved by Chennai Super Kings.
Mamata had earlier conveyed her best wishes to Shah Rukh, who is also the brand ambassador of West Bengal. The Bollywood superstar had called on the CM at her residence after the team sailed into the final by beating Punjab in the first qualifier on May 28.
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'This time on the Hooghly we are going to dance'
Image: Shah Rukh Khan dances with Manish Pandey (right).Photographs: BCCI
Shah Rukh had urged Kolkatans to get ready and celebrate the triumph on the Hooghly river and streets of Kolkata.
"This time on the Hooghly we are going to dance, we will create issues on the roads in Calcutta. Mamatadi, we are coming back like we promised. We are the champions," he said.
"The party starts from here. We will move to Mumbai and then to Calcutta… It's going to be a long affair. My son is in London, my wife and daughter are in Paris and the little one is in Delhi. So I will have to celebrate the win everywhere!"
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'Get ready Kolkata we rule!'
Image: Shah Rukh Khan celebrates with the KKR fansPhotographs: BCCI
KKR's celebrations at the team hotel in Bangalore went on till the wee hours of Monday morning. Needless to say, Shah Rukh led show.
"Tonight I will teach u how to dancer boy," Shah Rukh said, in reply to KKR player Kuldeep Yadav in an early morning tweet on his official Twitter handle.
"Either the cup is too big or my nose is. Either way the victory of my KKR boys is the biggest still. Love u. Get ready Kolkata we rule!!!!"
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KKR is like me... cool: Shah Rukh
Image: Shah Rukh Khan (centre) celebrates KKR's IPL triumph.Photographs: BCCI
Quoting Serbian poet and philosopher Dejan Stojanovic, Shah Rukh tweeted: "'Knighthood lies above eternity; it doesn't live off fame, but rather deeds.' My Knights are most beautiful."
He also thanked physiotherapist Andrew Leipus and trainer Adrian Leroux for their contribution.
He dedicated the victory to his little son, AbRam, the newest member of his family.
"But I’m sorry this time I can’t dedicate this win to the City of Joy… This one is for my little baby AbRam. But I am happy to bring the trophy back to Calcutta,” said Shah Rukh.
"I am really happy and proud of the team. My children are happy. I would like to dedicate this victory to my little baby AbRam, who has just got his KKR T-shirt! The win is as much of Gautam and the team."
"Everyone in KKR… be it Gautam or Manish, who won us the game today… We have a team that believes in itself. We are not flashy, we don’t have big names, we are a bunch who just goes out and does its job. KKR is just like me.
"Perhaps, I am a bit flashy because I have been working for too long and I can do somersaults. But yes, KKR is like me… cool," he said in the post-match presentation ceremony.
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