Jaipur : The pink city, Jaipur warmed up to the 132^nd Durand Cup Grand Trophy Tour here today at the Rajasthan International Centre. The three glittering trophies of the prestigious Durand Cup were received by Major General Rai Singh Godara, GOC, 61 Sub Area in an energetic ceremony which were later jointly flagged off by the Major General; General K K Repswal, SM, VSM Retd  and Brigadier Kuldeep Gulia, Indian Army Retd and also were the Guest of Honors of the event.

Amongst the other dignitaries to be present at the ceremony were, Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya, Cabinet Minister, Water Resource Department, Rajasthan Government; Lal Chandra Katariya, Agricultural Minister, Rajasthan Government; Dharmendra Singh Rathore, President, Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation; Krishna Kumar Tak, Chairman, Rajasthan United Football Club (RUFC); Dr. Ashutosh Pant, Independent Director and President, CSR Committee, Indian Oil Corporation Limited; Rajat Mishra, Former National Footballer and Founder Director, RUFC and Col Navneet Thiara, Nodal Officer, Durand Cup Committee were also present during the function.

Jaipur hosted the Durand trophies for the second consecutive year which is the sixth stop of the trophies which will travel the length and the breadth of the country during this month. The Trophy Tour will be finally flagged in, at Kolkata on 01^st August, 2023.

Speaking on the occasion, said, “Major General Rai Singh Godara, GOC, 61 Sub Area, We feel honoured and excited to host the trophies of the Durand Cup for a second consecutive year at Jaipur. The Indian Army is always at the forefront of supporting sports and providing the best platform and facilities for sportspersons.

Rajasthan United, the club from Jaipur who had created a stir during the previous edition of Durand, will be up against the best again this year. I wish all the teams participating in this tournament the best of wishes to have a wonderful tournament.

The 132^nd Durand Cup is scheduled to be held in Kolkata, Guwahati and Kokrajhar. From August 03, 2023, to September 03, 2023 while the final of the tournament will be played at Yuva Bharati Krirangan (VYBK), Kolkata. This time the Durand Cup will have 24 teams, up from 20 last time, including all 12 Indian Super League (ISL) sides.

Service teams from neighbouring foreign countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal will also be participating in the legacy tournament, making foreign participation in the legendary tournament happening after a long gap of 27 years.

Kokrajhar in Assam will also be the newest addition to the Durand host city roster this year which will see a local Bodoland team vying for the top honor.