By Kalsang Rinchen
Dharamsala, March 23 – His Holiness the Dalai Lama will attend an Indian Premiere League cricket match on April 18 as a special guest. According to the official website of the Tibetan government in exile, the Tibetan leader’s office here has confirmed that the invitation has been accepted.
King’s Eleven Punjab will host Deccan Chargers in a night – match on April 16 and Chennai Super Kings in a day – match on April 18.
The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) has extended the invitation to His Holiness the Dalai Lama who is not a novice to the game that is not so popular within the Tibetans. He had watched a game of cricket between Himachal Governor’s XI and Chief Minister’s XI at the same venue two years ago.
With snow-capped mountains as a backdrop, the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamsala is one of the most picturesque cricket grounds in India. One of the newest venues in India, the stadium is situated about 1457 metres above sea level.
In 2005, His Holiness the Dalai Lama had accepted an invitation from HPCA to inaugurate the first ever international cricket match in Himachal Pradesh in the same stadium but did not eventually attend the match after Pakistan Cricket Board expressed its reservations against it, apparently under Chinese pressure. The Central Tibetan Administration, through a press statement, had said “the general thinking of His Holiness the Dalai Lama is not to cause any inconvenience to any party”.
This is the third year for IPL which boasts of 4.14 billion dollars as its brand value today. Eights teams with players from various cricketing countries compete in the tournament that will end in Mumbai on April 25.
