Balloons, jugglers, acrobats weave mesmerising spell at ISl closing show

Football-shaped balloons were released into the night sky, ball jugglers displayed their silken skills and acrobats showcased feats of extraordinary ability and balance before a capacity crowd at the D.Y. Patil stadium here during the ISl closing ceremony ahead of the final between Atletico de Kolkata and Kerala Blasters Saturday.

The darkness of the night was dissipated by a breathtaking fireworks show that brought the curtains down on the 20-minute extravaganza leaving the assembled celebrities and the common soccer buffs mesmerised. The show featured 50 Chinese acrobats clad in blue outfits who ran around the stadium with the ISl flags and then enthralled the audience with their exercises which included forming a human pyramid.

Shaking a leg to Bollywood tunes were dancers in silver dresses, jiving to songs like "Indiawale" from the Shah Rukh Khan starrer "Happy New Year" and also the ISl anthem "let's Football". One hundred snare drummers struck a fine rhythm alongside the ball jugglers from South Africa, in the presence of Atletico and Blasters co-owners and former cricketing stalwarts, Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar, who graced the stands with their family.

A galaxy of Bollywood stars including the likes of Aamir Khan, John Abraham and Abhishek Bachchan were also there. Atletico Madrid's midfielder Koke, who flew in from Spain to witness the final, seemed to relish every moment.