56 th ‘Sahara City Homes Sheesh Mahal Cricket tournament’ begins from 3 rd June 2008

Lucknow , May 31 st, 2008: Sahara City Homes under the aegis of Sahara India Pariwar today announced the commencement of the 56th annual All India ‘Sahara City Homes Sheesh Mahal cricket tournament’ from June 3rd, 2008. The tournament is one of the premier and oldest summer tournaments of the country.

‘Sahara City Homes Sheesh Mahal Cricket Tournament’ was adopted by Sahara in 2006. The Tournament is played on a league cum knock out basis and carries a total prize money of Rs 25 lacs.

The league matches as well as semi finals will be played at KD Singh Babu Stadium and Chowk Stadium, while the finals will be played at KD Singh Babu Stadium, on the 11 th June.

This time there will be eight teams that will battle it out for the prestigious trophy. The teams include Indian Oil, Air India, ONGC, Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association, Rizvi Builders and Sahara India. To add to the fervor of the event, there will be two International teams, Karachi Jelani Tigers ( Pakistan) and Colombo Colts ( Sri Lanka) participating in the tournament.

The tournament which is one of the oldest and the most acclaimed national cricket events has seen many cricket legends playing for the Cup. Sahara has plans to develop the event as one of the major cricket tournaments of the sub-continent in the coming years. This will help the development of the game at ground level and will provide the international exposure to the local players from different parts of the nation.

On this occasion Shri Abhijet Sarckar, Head - Corporate Communications, Sahara India Pariwar said, “In the words of Saharasri ji, Sports represent the most healthy, energetic and spirited facet of the society. In order to promote this healthy aspect of the society and translate Saharasri ji’s thoughts into the development of the society, Sahara India Pariwar is strongly committed to the cause of sports.” He further said, “In the same direction, we are proud to announce the 56th ‘Sahara City Homes Sheesh Mahal Cricket tournament’. As the tournament has done in the past it will help in further elevating the game of Cricket at the local level.”