Jaipur warms up to 132nd Durand Cup grand trophy tour

Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], July 10 : The pink city, Jaipur warmed up to the 132nd Durand Cup Grand Trophy Tour here today at the Rajasthan International Centre.

The three glittering trophies of the prestigious Durand Cup were received by Major General Rai Singh Godara, GOC, 61 Sub Area in an energetic ceremony which was later jointly flagged off by the Major General; General K K Repswal, SM, VSM Retd and Brigadier Kuldeep Gulia, Indian Army Retd and also were the Guest of Honours of the event.

Amongst the other dignitaries to be present at the ceremony were, Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya, Honourable Cabinet Minister, Water Resource Department, Rajasthan Government; Lal Chandra Katariya, Honourable Agricultural Minister, Rajasthan Government; Dharmendra Singh Rathore, President, Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation; Krishna Kumar Tak, Chairman, Rajasthan United Football Club (RUFC); Ashutosh Pant, Independent Director and President, CSR Committee, Indian Oil Corporation Limited; Rajat Mishra, Former National Footballer and Founder Director, RUFC and Col Navneet Thiara, Nodal Officer, Durand Cup Committee were also present during the function.

Jaipur hosted the Durand trophies for the second consecutive year which is the sixth stop of the trophies which will travel the length and breadth of the country during this month. The Trophy Tour will be finally flagged in, at Kolkata on August 1, 2023.

Speaking on the occasion, said, "Major General Rai Singh Godara, GOC, 61 Sub Area, We feel honoured and excited to host the trophies of the Durand Cup for a second consecutive year at Jaipur. The Indian Army is always at the forefront of supporting sports and providing the best platform and facilities for sportspersons. Rajasthan United, the club from Jaipur who had created a stir during the previous edition of Durand, will be up against the best again this year. I wish all the teams participating in this tournament the best of wishes to have a wonderful tournament.

The 132nd Durand Cup is scheduled to be held in Kolkata, Guwahati and Kokrajhar From August 3, 2023, to September 3, 2023 while the final of the tournament will be played at Yuva Bharati Krirangan (VYBK), Kolkata. This time the Durand Cup will have 24 teams, up from 20 last time, including all 12 Indian Super League (ISL) sides. Service teams from neighbouring foreign countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal will also be participating in the legacy tournament, making foreign participation in the legendary tournament happen after a long gap of 27 years.

Kokrajhar in Assam will also be the newest addition to the Durand host city roster this year which will see a local Bodoland team vying for the top honour.