- Nasima Akter
German Chancellor Meets RCB Players at Bengaluru
On Sunday, the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited the M Chinnaswamy cricket stadium in Bengaluru and met with the male and female players of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team.
The chancellor was on a two-day trip to India and chose to visit the cricket stadium following bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.
According to reports, Scholz talked with the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) officials and the RCB men and women team members for about 15 minutes.
The Reason Behind Scholz's Visit
When questioned about the reason behind his visit, a German Embassy official stated that the chancellor understood the importance of cricket in India and wanted to acclimatize himself about the sport and what cricket means to India.
"Moreover, he wanted to understand what the RCB, both the men's and women's team, mean to the city, especially as the RCB women's team embark on the first season of the Women's Premier League," the official further said.
Reports say the German Chancellor arrived at the Kempegowda International Airport on Sunday afternoon. He was received by the Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar, along with the German Consulate officials and Bengaluru Police Commissioner C H Pratap Reddy.
Following the chancellor's visit, Sudhakar sharedd a post featuring photos of Scholz's arrival.
The post read, "Welcomed the Chancellor of Germany, His Excellency @OlafScholz to Bangalore at Kempegowda International Airport today. This is the first visit from a Chancellor of Germany to India, since 2011, when the Inter-Governmental Consultation (IGC) was set up between our two countries."
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Response to Visit
At the time of German Chancellor's visit, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru were in the middle of their WPL Camp. Sources say that the reception for Scholz was positive and the club later released a Twitter post about his visit.
The post read, "We had the extreme honour and privilege of hosting the Hon'ble Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany at Namma Chinnaswamy Stadium. His Excellency called on RCB's WPL camp today."
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Status
The franchise cricket team is currently preparing for the Women's (Women's Premiere League) starting on March 4. The Challenger's first match will be against the Delhi Capitals on March 5 at the Brabourne Stadium.
The Indian Premier League will be following the Women's Premiere League, and the RCB will have their first match against the Mumbai Indians on April 5 for the 5th match of the league.
The Women's Premiere League is an upcoming women's Twenty20 cricket franchise league in India. It is owned and operated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, and it is starting it's first season this year.
The league is happening in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, with five franchises taking part, and it will last the whole month of March.
Meanwhile, the 2023 IPL will be the sixteenth season of the Indian Premier League. There will be ten participants and 75 matches. The Gujarat Titans are the defending champions and will be opening the match in a clash against the Chennai Super Kings on March 31st.
