By Our Correspondent
DUBAI/BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha Cup Sports Association of UAE has successfully organized Odisha Cup 24, the World’s Largest Prabsi Odia Cricket Tournament, with the final match being held on 19th January at Seven Estates Grounds in Ajman , UAE. This year’s Odisha Cup witnessed a record participation of 18 teams from all 7 Emirates of UAE, making it the largest edition since its inception in 2014. This year’s tournament, which started on September 29, 2024, culminated in a spectacular final match between the finalist teams : Kalinga Warriors and SAM-11 Ajman-Odisha.
In a thrilling encounter, SAM 11 Ajman-Odisha set a target of 153 runs in alloted 20 overs for Kalinga Warriors. Imran Khan’s brilliant performance, scoring 75 off 34 balls, contributed to SAM 11 Ajman-Odisha’s commanding total. In reply, the Kalinga Warriors were bowled out for just 87 in 17.1 overs, thanks to brilliant bowling by Nehal Akhtar, Abdul Ahad and Imran Khan. Imran Khan was adjudged the Man of the Match and Man of the Series for his brilliant batting and bowling.
The final match was played in front of a record breaking & enthusiastic crowd of more than 700 people, mainly consisting of Odia community members, who had come with their families to watch the cricket match. The event was made even more enjoyble with the the traditional Odia food presented by the organizers.
Ms. Suryamayee Mohapatra, a talented Odia actress who is known for her performances in Odia films and the Odia entertainment industry graced the occasion. She said that she was honoured to be among such a large Odia disapora gathering.
Consul (Consular, Labor and Madad) Mr. Pabitra Kumar Majumder graced the occasion as the special guest. He was said he was very impressed with the scale of the tournament and appreciated the vibe that the whole event had.
Mr. Sailaj Das, advisor pf Odisha Cup and Managing Director of Turbo Power Engineering, and the title sponsor of the tournament, acknowledged the dedication of both the players and the organizers and expressed his happiness on witnessing a huge gathering.
Odisha Cup advisor and Senior Business Management Expert Mr. Priyadarshee Panigarahi hailed the event as the largest private gathering of migrant Odias in the Middle East and North Africa region. He appreciated the role of Odisha Cup in promoting brotherhood and camarederie among Odias living in the UAE.
Odisha Cup advisor and CEO and Managing Director of Panbulk Shipping DMCC, Capt. Soumya Patnaik congratulated the entire community and Odisha Cup Sports Association for its continued success over the years.
Senior organizers Rajat Rath, Sushant Jena, Nirlipta Mohanty, Sambhram Patnaik, Pradyumna Sahoo and other core staff of Odisha Cup like Chinmay Kumar Jena, Abnikant Patro, Dev Mishra, Sujit Khatua, Amriten Chatterjee, Syed Afan Mustafa, Syed Taswar Alli, Bikas Agarwal , Ashish Kumar, Jyoti Ranjan Panda and Imdad Mohammed have worked tirelessly to ensure the success of the programme.
Odisha Cup, was stared in 2014 and since then has grown to be the largest Odisha related sports gathering outside India. This year’s edition was the the biggest ever, with 18 teams taking part in the tournament.
