In almost an anti-climax to all the hype surrounding to it, the much awaited opening fixture of the WaiWai Everest Premier League (EPL) between Vishal Warriors and Kantipur Gurkhas was called called off after persistent rains and wet outfield ensured that even a shortened match was not possible.
The overcast conditions from around the morning hours had already cast some doubts over the fixture but once the skies broke out, around an hour before the scheduled time of 12:30 PM, the prospects of the match started looking bleak. After 2 hours of downpour and drizzle, the rain eased a bit but the damage had already been made.
The wet patches around the outfield needed some ample heat to be dried but since the sun never really appeared, it was not to be. Finally around 3:00 the match was called off amidst the disappointment of the crowd and fans around the world. Both the teams were forced to share a point each as the result.
Once the downpour subsided, an opening ceremony was held, albeit in a smaller scale than earlier planned. Sports Minister Daljeet Sherpaili inaugurated the cricketing festival while captains from all six teams waved their flags to mark heir occasion. Likewisw, renowned singer and performer Deepak Bajracharya played some of his hit numbers to liven up the crowd.
After the tame start, the tournament will see two matches tomorrow with Sharad Vesawkar led Panchakanjya Tez taking on Gyanendra Malla’s Colors X-factors at 9:30 am. In the second match, Gurkhas will lock horns with Sagarmatha Leegends led by Binod Bhandari.