Cuttack: The historic Barabati Stadium, Cuttack witnessed a spectacular start to the Odisha Pro T20 League (OPTL) 2025 with the grand opening ceremony held here Wednesday.
The event was graced by the Chief Minister of Odisha, Mohan Charan Majhi, who unveiled the league trophy and officially marked the beginning of the inaugural edition of the league. On this occasion, Majhi said, “This is not just a league, it is a celebration of cricketing excellence. I want to thank the OCA Office Bearers, Secretary Sanjay Behera and Dr Asirbad Behera, under whose efforts many international matches and tournaments have been brought to the Barabati Stadium. I also extend my gratitude to the players, stakeholders and spectators for making this tournament possible. To make this league even bigger, I warmly welcome Irfan Pathan as the League Brand Ambassador. His involvement will certainly help cricket and this league grow further. I hereby declare the tournament open.” Following the unveiling of the trophy, he spun the coin for the first match of OPTL 2025, where Swastik Samal, Captain of Cuttack Panthers, won the toss and elected to bowl first against Bhubaneswar Tigers. Just before the first ball of the match was bowled, the traditional Bell Ringing ceremony was observed.
The Chief Minister rang the bell in the presence of Sanjay Behera, Secretary, OCA; S Dev Datta Singh, IPS, Commissioner of Police, Bhubaneswar–Cuttack; Souvic Biswal, MLA, Cuttack-Choudwar; Prakash Chandra Sethi, MLA, Cuttack-Sadar; and Dr Sudhanshu Sarangi, IPS, Director General of Odisha Fire & Emergency Services, marking the offi cial commencement of the league and its inaugural match.
The grand ceremony featured a vibrant line-up of performances, including Ruturaj Mohanty, Rapper Pratik, Sambalpuri Folk Dance, Malkhamb Dance, Nakash Aziz, and a special dance act by Chitrangada Singh, making it a truly memorable evening. On the occasion, Dr Asirbad Behera welcomed and expressed gratitude to the Chief Minister, stating that the tournament is a great initiative for the players to showcase their talent. He further extended his thanks to all stakeholders of the tournament.
Irfan Pathan, speaking as the League Brand Ambassador, said, “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be the League Brand Ambassador. I will do my best to ensure that Odisha’s young talents get the right platform and exposure to take their game to the next level. This is a very essential stage for them, and I urge the players to utilise it fully.” On the occasion of the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Odisha Cricket Association announced a contribution of Rs 5,00,000 to Adruta Children Homes.
The cheque was presented on stage by the Chief Minister along with the dignitaries present. This special gesture reflects OCA’s commitment to extend support beyond cricket and towards the welfare of society.