Asharaje Gaekwad hosts HVR Baroda Cup Polo tournament at the Jaipur Polo Grounds in Delhi

A royal touch: Everything was royal about the finals of the HVR Baroda Cup Polo tournament held at the Jaipur Polo Grounds in the capital recently.
The tournament, which is an annual event hosted by Asharaje Gaekwad, from the royal family of Baroda, and Harshavardhan Reddy, saw the presence of members of the city’s political circle and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York. Throughout the match, the commentator kept referring to the presence of the Duchess and also revealed her special connect with polo.Sarah told us, “My dad was a polo player and even though I haven’t played the game myself, I always enjoy watching it.”
Really an outdoor sport: Neelam Pratap Rudy was also spotted at the match wearing a teeka, and she said, “Today was the greh pravesh of my house, so I am just coming from the puja. My daughter Avshreya is also a polo player and my younger daughter has also started getting into the sport. This is a sport where your clothes get dirty and carry the smell of horses. Whenever Avshreya comes home after a game of polo, I ask her to take off her boots before entering the home. It really is an outdoor sport.”
Injuries mar players: Naveen Jindal was happy as his team won the match 8-5. However, he left the field before the last chukker. Later, he told us, “It’s a strain in the calf muscle and it started hurting. I didn’t want to aggravate it and decided to leave the ground. We have to stay fit during this time, as the polo season has just stared.”