Ram Mandir Pran Pratistha: Top 5 Cricketers Invited for Ram Mandir Pran Pratistha Ceremony

The wait for decades gets over on the 22nd of January, Monday, and finally, the Ram Mandir's 'Pran Pratishtha' Ceremony will take place. Around 506 state major guests list, which include sports icons, politicians, actors, and entrepreneurs are invited to the grand event in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. The opening of the 161-foot-tall pink sandstone shrine has taken place as the statue has been revealed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present in the ceremony for the Pran Pratishtha. 

Several stars from various industries with the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev, MS Dhoni, and the present team India cricketers include captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravichandran Ashwin and the list does not end as it also includes Sunil Gavaskar, Sourav Ganguly, Anil Kumble, Virendra Sehwag, and Men in Blue head coach Rahul Dravid have all been invited. The players who were not invited also posted wishing the citizens about the grand event.  

Sportstars from other than cricket have also been named with Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu, chess grandmaster Viswanathan Anand, PT Usha, Prakash Padukone and footballer Bhaichung Bhutia. Women's cricket team former captain Mithali Raj and the present captain Harmanpreet Kaur will also be witnessing the massive event. In the article, we will be looking at the top cricketers invited to the event. 

Here are the top 5 Cricketers Invited for the Ram Mandir Pran Pratistha Ceremony

5. Ravichandran Ashwin 

Ravichandran Ashwin has been one of the finest spinners for India of this generation. The Tamil-Nadu-born cricketer became the latest addition to a massive list of superstars for the event. Tamil Nadu's BJP State Secretary Dr. SG Suryah and vice-president Venkatraman C handed over the invitation to Ashwin. But the question remains whether the veteran off-spinner will be attending the event or not as the Men in Blue have a Test series starting on 25th January. 

4. Anil Kumble 

Anil Kumble is the greatest leg-spinner the side has ever produced. The former India head coach has been invited and has also reached Ayodhya for the event with his wife the cricketer has posted a selfie with his wife right outside the Ram Mandir and has been eagerly waiting for the ceremony to begin. He also tweeted and described being  in Ayodhya as, "Pure Bliss and Blessed to be part of this divine occasion." 

3. MS Dhoni 

MS Dhoni is the greatest captain for the side. The 42-year-old cricketer has won every major trophy for his country under his leadership stint and remains the only one to do so in the cricketing world. Though he has retired from international cricket he has been a part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) side Chennai Super Kings and he was invited by Dhananjay Singh, co-province secretary of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Jharkhand state Organization General Secretary of BJP, Karmaveer Singh earlier in the week to receive the invitation. 

2. Virat Kohli 

Virat Kohli is one of the greatest cricketers of this generation. The former India captain has been arguably the best white-ball cricketer. He has surpassed several milestones and has been the face of the world cricket over the years. Kohli and his wife, actress Anushka Sharma, have received an invitation to be part of the Ram Mandir ‘Pran Pratistha’ ceremony and he has even been granted permission from the Indian Cricket Board to attend the event and is yet to reach Ayodhya. 

1. Sachin Tendulkar 

Sachin Tendulkar is the greatest cricketer of all time. The former India World Cup winner has been the greatest-ever batter in the history of the game. He was the second one to be invited for the ceremony in Ayodhya and he received the invitation 9 days ahead of the opening. Sachin has already reached the state and has witnessed the grand opening of the event as well.