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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Oman Celebrity Cricket League match garners great response

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MUSCAT: Bollywood film stars and Omani celebrities came together to provide an entertaining day of cricket at the recent ‘Oman Celebrity Cricket League’ match held at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher.


Organised as a part of the ongoing 2019 Muscat Festival, under the aegis of Muscat Municipality and in collaboration with Ministry of Sports, the Celebrity Cricket Match was held on a specially prepared pitch provided by the Bosher Sports Centre.


While popular film stars like Sonu Sood, Aftab Shivdasani, Saqib Saleem and Yash Verma batted for the Indian Bollywood team, the Omani celebrities team included players like Sabah al Fadhil, Yousuf al Balushi, Monish Ansari, Rajesh Rampura alongwith other celebrated players from Oman.


The T20 match which was high on entertainment value was won by the Indian Bollywood team. The winning team scored the target of 86 runs that was set for them by the Omani celebrities’ team. Yash Verma from Indian Bollywood team who scored 46 was declared the man of the match.


The ‘Oman Celebrity Cricket League’ was organised by Golden Arrow Productions, a division of Abaan International LLC. Omantel was one of the main sponsor of the match.


Munther bin Saif bin Hamed al Busaidi, Chairman of Oman Equestrian Federation, was the chief guest of the event. Khalid bin Mohammed bin Omar Bahram, Assistant President of Muscat Municipality, Nadha bint Abdul Rahim, Assistant Director of Muscat Festival Administration, Munu Mahawar, Indian Ambassador to Oman and Sarmila Parajuli Dhakal, Nepalese Ambassador to Oman were among the guest of honours at the venue.


Mahboob Hasan, from Abaan International LLC said, “It was a fun filled match as cricket and Bollywood fans got to watch their favourite stars put their sporting skills to the test. The match provided awesome entertainment and memorable moments.


We thank the Omani authorities and sponsors for their support to organise this wonderful event. Stars from Bollywood were impressed by the incredible beauty of Oman. As we all know many of the Bollywood film-makers have already shot their films in Oman.”


Pooja Kharbanda, lecturer at Scientific College of Design and also one of the main organisers of Oman Celebrity Cricket League said, “We were delighted to see a great turnout at the event as the stars and players enthralled the crowd with their performances. It was of great entertainment value to movie buffs and cricket lovers alike. We would like to thank distinguished guests, people of Oman, sponsors and partners who helped in making this event successful.”


Popular actor Sonu Sood said, “We thank all the beautiful people of this country who turned out in large numbers and cheered for us. This encouraged us and inspired us to win the match.”


Actor Saqib Saleem was full of praise for the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, he said, “Having played quite a bit of cricket I can say this is one of the best stadiums I have played in.”


Stating that he was happy to back in Oman, Deepak actor Tijori said, “It is wonderful to be back in this wonderful country as part of the Muscat Festival festivities.”


Film star Aftab Shivdasani thanked the spectators for their love and affection. He said, “We are very grateful for your support.”


Shreyas Talpade appreciated the ambience of Oman and said, “This is a beautiful county with beautiful people.”


Actress Rimi Sen who was present at the event praised Oman for its “cleanliness” and “stunning beauty”.


Before the start of the match and during the innings break, dance performances by Kings United Dance Academy mesmerised the public with their performances.


Bollywood actors joined the performers on the ground to provide full-on entertainment. Not just Bollywood actors but celebrities from Oman and Nepal also joined the celebration. Shiv and Tejas Gupta from Kings United said that they were very excited to be a part of this event, and that they prepared very hard since last few months to bring this experience to the audience of OCCL.


Sandesh Dhuri from Bosher Sports Centre supported a great deal in organising the cricket match on the ground. He had all the praises for celebrities from the both sides for playing such a wonderful game.


Students from Indian schools, Omani schools and other schools also came in large numbers to cheer the stars and the players.


This event, aimed to bring the vibrant Indian film industry closer to Oman, showcased Oman’s fabulous locales as an attractive destination for Indian and Hollywood film-makers.


The match also promoted Hindi-Arabic-English sports-themed movie titled ‘Papa Kehte Hain Bada Naam Karega — A Journey to the World Cup’ to be shot in Oman and is scheduled to hit the global screens very soon. Teaser of the film was also showcased at the event.


Golden Arrow Productions (a division of Abaan International LLC) is producing the film. The producers have appreciated the immense support they received from the Omani authorities provided while planning this film.



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