RHITUPARNO PAKHIRA, the 18-year-old youth, who breached security to meet cricketer Virat Kohli on the field during the opening match of IPL 2025 at the Eden Gardens stadium on Saturday, was granted interim bail by the Bankshall Court in Kolkata on Monday. The Chief

Judicial Magistrate (CJM) directed Pakhira to furnish a bail bond of Rs 1,000.

Judge Kaustav Mukhopadhyay also directed that the man will not be able to enter the Eden Gardens stadium or the adjoining areas on IPL match days in Kolkata this season and the police would ensure that he does not obtain a ticket for any of the matches.

“I have no regrets. I met [my] God and there cannot be any better feeling,” Pakhira told mediapersons after his release, underlining his admiration of Kohli.

He expressed disappointment at the prospect of missing future matches at Eden Gardens this IPL season but remained optimistic about attending next year.

“When I met him, he (Virat Kohli) asked me my name and then told me to just run away from the ground. He also told the security personnel to release me,” Pakhira claimed to mediapersons.

According to police sources, Pakhira, who hails from Purba Bardhaman district, scaled the fencing net near the G Block of the stadium, allegedly dodging on-duty police personnel. His actions led to a “significant disruption” during the match, alarming players of both teams (KKR and RCB) and potentially endangering their safety, the police said.

— with PTI