AP home minister inaugurates 2nd edition of South zone T20 cricket tournament in Vijayawada

Vijayawada: Highlighting the demanding nature of the police service, home minister Vangalapudi Anitha said sporting events strengthen unity, promote discipline, and enhance the physical and mental well-being of police personnel. Anitha inaugurated the 2nd edition of the All India Police South Zone T20 Cricket Tournament 2025-26, organised under the aegis of the All India Police Sports Control Board, New Delhi. It was hosted by the AP police department at the Mangalagiri APSP 6th Battalion on Friday.A total of 10 teams from six states, two union territories, and two central armed police forces will take part in the five-day tournament. It will be held from Feb 20-24 at Mulapadu Cricket Stadium in Vijayawada.
Declaring the tournament open after receiving the guard of honour, the home minister said the proposed world-class sports city in Amaravati would benefit from the momentum generated through this tournament and would pave the way for hosting more major sports tournaments in the future.Speaking on the occasion, DGP Harish Kumar Gupta described the T20 tournament as a symbol of unity, discipline, and service spirit among police forces across the country. He said it was a matter of pride for the AP police to host the South Zone tournament after successfully organising the 2nd All India weightlifting cluster competitions last year.The DGP further announced that, for the first time in the history of All India police sports, the cricket matches will be livecast from the semi-final stage on DD Sports, enabling viewers in nearly 160 countries to watch the cricket matches. Additional DGP (law and order) N Madhusudhan Reddy, IG (welfare and sports) KV Mohan Rao, DIG (welfare and sports) Anburajan, and others were present.