Kolkata team feted in Kolkata for their win in IPL cricket tournament

Kolkata, May 29 (PTI) The City of Joy accorded a grand welcome to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) team for their triumph in the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League Twenty20 league cricket tournament, with West Bengal state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee felicitating the players and Indian cine stars and KKR team co-owners Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla in front of the Writers' Buildings state secretariat complex here today. "We have been waiting for this day so long. Thank you Didi. Thank You Kolkata. Thank you West Bengal on behalf of every member of the team. Only Kolkata will rule," Shah Rukh Khan, who is also the brand ambassador of West Bengal, said at the reception amidst thunderous cheers from hundreds of people as confetti rained from above. KKR had beaten Chennai Super Kings team in the final in Chennai on Sunday night to clinch the IPL trophy for this year. Team Captain Gautam Gambhir said, "Thank you Didi (as Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee is addressed meaning 'elder sister'). It is a fantastic support that we have received from the people of Kolkata and Bengal." Banerjee, dressed in a white sari with a purple border, the color of the team's jersey, said, "Bengal is proud. The victory of the Knight Riders is like a victory of the world." Earlier, Kolkata turned purple and gold as thousands of people lined up the entire route from Hazra crossing, near the chief minister's Harish Chatterjee Street residence, to Writers Buildings, a distance of five kilometres, to witness the victory parade of the team aboard a flower-bedecked trailer. People not only lined the streets, but also crammed vantage points on rooftops and balconies as the victory procession passed. The chief minister personally handed bouquets and scarves to Gautam Gambhir and team members as well as SRK and Chawla. PTI Caption for pic: Indian cine stars and Kolkata Knight Riders co-owners Shahrukh Khan and Juhi Chawla dance during felicitation function of the team at Eden Garden in Kolkata on Tuesday. PTI Photo