‘Mumbai ka champion kaun?’ For two days it was Jehan Mubarak

Mubarak’s surprise debut even caught the attention of a Mumbai cop from Chirag Nagar, though, he wasn’t too happy about the prospects of the team representing his force now that there was a Sri Lankan international in Ghatkopar’s playing XI. Incidentally, the tournament was inaugurated by the Mumbai police commissioner, Dattaray Padsalgikar. For good measure after soaking in the VIP attention that he isn’t quite used to in his homeland, Mubarak top-scored with 42 for the Jets in their opening victory. He was also a vocal presence in the middle, egging his bowlers on from his position at short-midwicket, and also sharing pieces of advice with the rest of the team.

It’s unlikely that Mubarak will get time to fit in Ghatkopar’s world-famous pav-bhaji or the unique gourmet street-food at Khao Galli into his hasty two-day itinerary, but for at least the next two days, the eastern suburb will have an international cricketer representing them.