With preparations in full swing to accord a grand felicitation to the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens Tuesday following their second IPL win, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has altered her northern West Bengal tour schedule to attend the celebrations where team owner and Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan will also be present.
In a series of Facebook posts and tweets, Banerjee congratulated the Knights for their victory in Sunday's nail-biting final and announced a felicitation programme on "public demand".
"We will felicitate KKR tomorrow (Tuesday) in Kolkata for IPL victory. There is a public demand," she tweeted.
Later, talking to media persons at the Kolkata airport before embarking on her official trip to north Bengal, she referred to the spirit of Kolkata that relishes sporting events.
"The people deserve to celebrate... the people in Bengal have always loved sports like cricket and football. It is their spirit. I congratulate KKR for the win and they will get a reception tomorrow (Tuesday)," she said.
Banerjee's north Bengal tour was meant to run through five consecutive days.
However, she will now return to the city Monday night - after her day-long administrative meeting in the north Bengal secretariat Utarkanya in Jalpaiguri district - to be in time for Tuesday's ceremony, official sources said.
She will return to north Bengal after the reception.
Following Banerjee's instructions, Home Secretary Basudeb Banerjee, Sports Minister Madan Mitra and city police commissioner Surojit Kar Purokayastha held a meeting at the state secretariat Nabanna with Cricket Association of Bengal president Jagmohan Dalmiya and treasurer Biswarup Dey to chalk out details of the one-hour felicitation scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
"The state government, CAB in association with Kolkata Police will organise the ceremony," Dey told IANS.
In addition to the home team, Kings XI batsman Wriddhiman Saha, a Bengal boy, will also be feted by the state government for his "brilliant performance".
Saha scored an unconquered 55-ball 115 to become the first century maker in any Indian Premier League (IPL) final.
In 2012, when the Knights lifted the IPL trophy for the first time, the chief minister had feted the team outside the state secretariat Writers' Buildings and then travelled in the team bus and with Shahrukh to the jampacked Eden Gardens where a civic reception was given to the victorious side. A cultural gala was also organised.
Apart from the KKR players, Shahrukh Khan and Juhi Chawla will be present, in a rerun of the glittery 2012 felicitation.
