Friday evening saw the who’s who of the entertainment world across the country come together to launch the Celebrity Cricket League 2014. Actors from Bollywood, Tollywood and other regional film industries announced the commencement of the tournament amid much fanfare.
Despite the presence of stars like Venkatesh, Sudeep, Suniel Shetty, Riteish Deshmukh, Mohanlal and Jisshu, it was cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar who stole the show. The master blaster said at the event, “I’ve watched a few matches of CCL. Some of my close friends from the film industry have been playing the matches for a few years now and I have to admit that they’ve only become better with each game. There is a great deal of professionalism involved. It’s commendable that despite not being professional cricketers, these actors take time out from their busy schedules to religiously practise for months. Their passion and love for the sport reflects in their efforts.”
Other celebrities spotted at the event included Genelia to cheer for hubby Riteish, Huma Qureshi, Aftab Shivdasani, Dhanush, Sanchita Shetty, Sonu Sood, Usha Uthup, Pooja Chopra, Parvathy Omanakuttan, Vatsal Seth, Anoop Soni, Boney Kapoor, Charmi Kaur and others.
Sachin and his wife, Anjali, were seen having an animated conversation with Telugu Warriors captain Venkatesh and CCL brand ambassador Shruti Haasan. Sachin said he would try to attend a few matches and cheer for his friends in the industry. The captains of the eight teams were present to announce the launch of CCL 2014. However, Salman Khan, who was instrumental in getting Sachin for the launch had to miss the star-studded event.
“Both Salman and Sohail are neck deep in the post production work of their film Jai Ho. While the film releases on January 24, CCL’s first match will be played in Mumbai on January 25. Salman wants to wind up as much work as possible before that so he can attend his brother Sohail Khan’s team Mumbai Hero’s matches,” says a close source.
