ISPL Season 3 begins with star-studded ceremony, win for defending champions Majhi Mumbai

The third season of the Indian Street Premier League (ISPL) got going in a new city with more teams but with the same zeal as the first two editions. The opening ceremony, hosted by Rupali Ganguly, witnessed the presence of the ISPL Core Committee members, the team owners and a strong crowd at the Lalbhai Contractor Stadium in Surat.After the formal introductions of the ISPL Core Committee members - Ashish Shelar, Minal Amol Kale and League Commissioner Suraj Samat - and the owners, with rapturous reception for some of them, the biggest ovation was saved for last.ISPL Core Committee member and former India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar arrived driving a red Porsche 911 car. 'Master Blaster', clad in black, brought to the field what every cricketer in the ISPL would vie for this season by bagging the MVP Award.And when their opportunity did arrive, defending champions Majhi Mumbai made a strong start to their title defence by beating Srinagar Ke Veer by 13 runs in a repeat of last year's final.At one point, it looked like Majhi Mumbai's 59 run total would not be good enough. But Srinagar Ke Veer failed to get going and never looked primed to scale the small target. Ijaj Ahmad bagged the Player of the Match for his 3/9 effort.Srinagar Ke Veer would look to recover when they face Ahmedabad Lions in the first of double headers on Saturday. The second fixture will witness Tiigers of Kolkata take on Chennai Singams.