The two new franchises in the 2016 IPL have had contrast starts to their debut campaign.
The Gujarat Lions have lost just one of their 5 games while the Pune Supergiants have just one game out of their 5 so far this season.
But the Supergiants are fast earning some good reputation from around the IPL world after a lovely gesture from three of their players.
The children who were admitted to the paramedic ward in the Kem Hospital in Pune could not believe their eyes when Indian international stars Ajinkya Rahane, Irfan Pathan and Ishant Sharma were all present at the hospital on Thursday.
As part of the ‘welfare and happiness for all’ mission of the a charitable trust Mukul Madhav Foundation, the three players paid a visit to the hospital to provide some spirit and energy to the budding stars at the hospital.
PVC pipes and resin manufacturer, Finolex Industries, who is the associate sponsor for the Rising Pune Supergiants this IPL season were also a part of this lovely gesture.
During the visit, the three Indian players participated in some games, shared some stories and other off the field experiences bringing smiles on the faces of the children that were present there.
They also saluted the grit, fight, and the unbreakable spirit of the young children and encouraged them to keep fighting. The children also wished the stars the best of time in the remainder of the IPL season.
The Mukul Madhav foundation, which is responsible for the smiles on the faces of many children are closely associated with a number of hospitals and has been working for an improved quality of medical treatment for children and women.
Ritu Chhabria, the managing trustee, Mukul Madhav Foundation was happy with the success of the initiative and thanked the three players who made some time for the visit.
“I am glad that we got popular players like Rahane, Pathan, and Sharma to meet the children at KEM today.”
“The kids were absolutely thrilled and we are happy to have been able to give them this platform,” he added.
Nitin Kulkarni, the president of Sales & Marketing at Finolex Industries also spoke on the occasion.
He revealed that he was happy with his company’s involvement in the sport and that they are happy to be a part of the IPL franchise from Pune.
Finolex was an official partner of the Pune franchise that was suspended a couple of seasons ago and are now an integral part of the Supergiants franchise.
“We believe that business and sports like cricket, have much in common, with the success of both hinging on team effort, strategy, and partnership,” Kulkarni said in an interview.
Ajinkya Rahane, one of the players who was involved was happy to have taken the initiative.
He explained how bringing smiles to faces gave them joy and that it was refreshing for them to take their mind away from the pressure of the IPL.
“It was such a delight to meet the children.”
Their meeting with us was all smiles and full of joy. Seeing their happiness took away all our tensions,” Rahane said.
He also mentioned that the steps taken by Finolex were very helpful and felt that more such programs should be conducted in the future.
I am glad that Finolex Industries is associated with such initiatives and is helping the cause of healthcare in the country. I would love to meet these kids again,” he added.