Amethi to have its 20-20 final on Monday

NEW DELHI: For residents of Amethi Lok Sabha constituency, its own version of the 'Twenty-20' league organised at the behest of local MP Rahul Gandhi ends on Monday, with two village teams fighting it out for the cup.
    
The finals of the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Cricket tournament at the B R Ambedkar Stadium here will be between host Amethi and Tilohi villages and stars from Bollywood and the cricketing world are expected.
    
The Gandhi scions, Priyanka Vadra and her brother, will lead cheering crowd from the stands.
    
Among the stars expected for the finals are cricket players R P Singh and Pankaj Singh, who hail from Rae Bareily and Amethi respectively.
    
"This is an effort to encourage rural talent and encourage team spirit among youths. A total of 1,857 teams participated in the more than two-month long tournament and around 30,000 youths were directly involved in the whole process. It is a record of participation in itself," Uttar Pradesh Congress Spokesperson Akhilesh Pratap Singh said.
    
The tournament organised at the behest of Gandhi by the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust carries a cash award of Rs three lakh for the winner and a promise of further opportunities of training and practice.
    
This 20-20 tournament is open only to local teams and has been played across 127 venues during the knock-out stage.