Pretty Ukrainian girls add cheer to IPL carnival
Pretty cheerleaders are intrinsic to the IPL carnival. A number of young, pretty girls from Ukraine are cheerleaders for some of the IPL teams this year. Some of them are professional dancers, some g y m n a s t s back home. While a good many of them are here for their love of the cheerlead
i n g profession, others express their love for Indian culture, heritage and on- field cricket action.
Julia, a cheerleader for Delhi Daredevils, is a professional dancer. Back home, she is also learning Hindi and is quite fluent in the language. “I love Hindi and India’s culture and history. I always wanted to come here and so grabbed the opportunity of cheerleading at IPL at once. I also love Indian architecture and want to visit Taj Mahal and temples in India. In Delhi, I want to visit Chandni Chowk,” she says.
Rulia, a law graduate, is a second time participant in IPL. She wants to be a professional cheerleader and finds IPL the best platform. “I find law really boring and want to switch to something more fun. As IPL is a game of international standards, it will enhance my career as a professional cheerleader,” she says. A ballet dancer by profession, Oksana, a cheerleader for Kings XI Punjab, says she loves the enthusiastic crowd at the stadium. “We performed on the beats of Punjabi tracks and dhols on the first day. Although, I’ve heard about crowd misbehaving with cheerleaders, fortunately I haven’t experienced it so far. People in Delhi are quite friendly,” she says. About the scope of cheerleading in India, Ilulia, a gymnast and the head coach of cheerleaders in Ukraine, says, “I want to encourage young girls in India to take up cheerleading as a hobby.”