The
worlds
of
Bollywood,
cricket
and
politics
came
together
in
a
lavish
ceremony
as
the
winners
of
the
2014
Indian
Premier
League,
the
Kolkata
Knight
Riders
and
team
owners
Shahrukh
Khan
and
Juhi
Chawla
received
a
regal
reception
amid
thunderous
applause
at
the
packed
Eden
Gardens
here
Tuesday.
Amid
heightened
security
cover,
the
stadium's
green
turf
was
deluged
in
a
sea
of
purple
as
nearly
30,000
fans,
decked
up
in
sports
merchandise,
waiting
with
bated
breath
since
early
Tuesday
morning,
erupted
in
joy
to
get
a
glimpse
of
the
players
flanked
by
SRK,
Chawla
and
West
Bengal
Chief
Minister
Mamata
Banerjee.
The
gala
affair
was
nothing
short
of
a
major
Bollywood
event.
Confetti
rained
down
across
the
stadium
as
Banerjee
entered
the
stadium.
Nearly
three
hours
late
for
the
celebration
due
to
a
technical
snag
in
his
flight,
King
Khan's
arrival
drew
tumultuous
applause.
Dressed
smartly
in
a
white
KKR
jersey,
a
ponytailed
SRK
cut
a
giant
cake-in
the
shape
of
a
stadium
iced
with
the
words
KKR
and
the
letter
'B'
in
Bengali
to
represent
the
Biswa
Bangla
Brand-accompanied
by
Chawla,
KKR
skipper
Gautam
Gambhir
and
Banerjee.
The
splendid
affair
-
jointly
organised
by
the
state
government,
Kolkata
Police,
Kolkata
Municipal
Corporation
and
the
Cricket
Association
of
Bengal
(CAB)
-
was
attended
by
a
number
of
state
ministers,
former
cricketers
and
other
sports
personalities
and
cultural
icons
from
the
state.
Stars
from
the
Bengali
film
industry,
including
actors
Prosenjit,
Soham
and
actresses
Srabonti
and
June
Maliah,
upped
the
glam
quotient
as
a
packed-to-the-brim
Eden
Gardens
watched.
Bollywood
singers
Usha
Uthup
and
Anik
Dhar
belted
out
a
steady
stream
of
chart-toppers
as
the
crowd
joined
in
and
matched
steps.
A
troupe
of
dhaakis
(drummers)
and
tribal
dancers
added
to
the
frenzied
atmosphere.
The
crowd
soaked
in
earthy
tunes
of
Bengali
folk
rock
songs
by
Bangla
band
Bhoomi
as
slogans
of
"Ab
Ki
Baar
KKR" and
renditions
of
team
anthem
"Korbo
Lorbo
Jeetbo"
reverberated
across
the
arena.
The
Knights,
along
with
Chawla
went
for
victory
laps
in
seven
open
jeeps,
holding
aloft
the
golden
IPL
trophy
with
fans
yelling
the
names
of
players
Yusuf
Pathan,
Jacques
Kallis,
Gautam
Gambhir
and
the
rest,
as
the
caravan
passed
on.
Earlier
in
the
day,
a
stampede-like
situation
broke
out
on
the
fringes
of
the
Eden
Gardens
as
die-hard
fans
clambered
over
police
barricades
to
gain
entry
into
the
arena.
Police
had
to
resort
to
a
mild
lathi
charge
to
control
the
crowd
as
mounted
police
personnel
and
Rapid
Action
Force
(RAF)
struggled
to
control
the
situation.
Though
entry
was
made
free,
passes
distributed
were
far
less.
This
resulted
in
utter
chaos
with
KKR
followers
breaking
through
the
barriers
and
running
wildly
through
them,
bypassing
the
police
cover
to
grab
a
seat
in
the
stadium.
Several
women
and
children
were
injured
or
left
behind
in
the
rush.