Category: Sports

Mumbai: International hockey action will be back in Odisha as India resumes its FIH Pro League journey. The FIH Pro League commenced last year in October at the Kalinga stadium, but this leg of the league will be played in Rourkela. India, Australia and Germany will play six matches in six days. India will start off the action on 10 March against Germany before taking on Australia on March 12. All games will start at 7:00 PM IST and will be exclusively live streamed on FanCode. 

The FIH Pro League is an annual global League involving hockey’s best national teams in the world, men and women. The best team of the season – having accumulated the highest number of points at the end of the League – is crowned Champion and receives the FIH Pro League Trophy. 

The Indian team will be captained by Harmanpreet Singh while Hardik Singh has been named as the vice captain. 

Hockey fans will be able to watch all the action live on the FanCode’s mobile app (Android, iOS) TV app available on Android TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Jio STB, Samsung TV and on www.fancode.com 

Full schedule is as below: 

March 10, India vs Germany 

March 11, Germany vs Australia 

March 12, India vs Australia 

March 13, India vs Germany 

March 14, Germany vs Australia 

March 15, India vs Australia 

Mumbai: Star Sports, the official television broadcaster of the marquee tournament, has pulled out all stops to ensure India’s biggest sporting game receives an unmatched experience with the launch of its campaign – ‘TATA IPL, Shor on, Game on!’ featuring cricketers Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul.

The first campaign film, created and conceptualised by the in-house team of Disney Star, encapsulates how the passion, excitement and togetherness of fans watching IPL fuel the cricketers to achieve incredulous moments during the tournament. The campaign creatively highlights three different screenings in Mumbai, Lucknow, and Gujarat where neighbourhoods gather to celebrate the IPL festival. ‘TATA IPL, Shor on, Game on!’ embodies togetherness as IPL is best enjoyed together with fans cheering their favourite teams and players on big screens.

Star Sports spokesperson said, “As the biggest sporting league returns to the TV screen, the theme of ‘community’ binding cricket fans who love to celebrate together comes alive during IPL. Our ‘Shor on, Game on!’ campaign is a tribute to fans who fuel the game and breathe life into it. IPL is unquestioningly a big-screen phenomenon that is best watched together on TV with friends, family and the community at large. By bringing the biggest cricket stars together, combined with Star Sports’ high-quality broadcast, expert commentary, and a host of technological innovations, TV offers the best viewing experience for fans, allowing them to immerse themselves in the action and feel like they’re right in the middle of the game.”

Star Sports will unveil more films featuring cricketers like Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer and Ravindra Jadeja along with winners of #FanBanegaStar contest leading to the start of the mega tournament. TATA IPL 2023 will kickstart on 31 March 2023, with a clash between Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings in Ahmedabad at Narendra Modi Stadium.

Mumbai: This International Women’s Day, Sony Sports Network, has launched a new film that celebrates women both on & off camera. The film features the women workforce of Sony Sports Network along with presenters such as Ci Michel, Yashasvi Acharya, Sneha Namanandi and athletes like Taniksha Khatri and Samiya Farooqui.

Below are the links to the film for your perusal.

Mumbai: Dream11, the one-stop shop for all sports enthusiasts to play different forms of fantasy sports, has come on board as Legends League Cricket’s official fantasy partner for the upcoming season of LLC masters which begins on 10 March. With 15 crores+ users and 1,000+ daily contestants, Dream11 will provide a massive boost to Legends League Cricket’s endeavour of taking the tournament to as many cricket fans as possible.

The LLC Masters, which consists of three teams, namely, the India Maharajas, the Asia Lions, and the World Giants, will begin on 10 March 10 at the Asian Town Cricket Stadium in Doha, Qatar. The tournament will witness some of the greatest cricketers of all time dazzle the crowd for ten days.

Legends League Cricket CEO & co-founder Raman Raheja said, “It’s a great honour and privilege for us to have the biggest fantasy sports platforms as our fantasy partner. The partnership with Dream11 will definitely help the Legends League Cricket (LLC) Masters attract even more cricket fans around the world.”

The Legends League Cricket Masters will begin with a game between the India Maharajas and the Asia Lions on 10 March, 2023, from 8:00 p.m. IST and 5:30 p.m. AST on Star Sports Network for audiences at home to take in the action live from the Asian Town Cricket Stadium in Doha. The league will also be streamed LIVE on Disney+ Hotstar and FanCode.

Mumbai: The Woman’s Premier League (WPL) first match was on 4 March, 2023 between the Gujarat Giants and Mumbai Indians. Viacom 18 acquired the WPL rights for a sum of Rs 951 crore, but is the environment conducive enough for advertisers to invest in the WPL 2023? Advertisers have already earmarked spending between Linear TV and Digital for the high-impact IPL 2023.

BCCI has announced free tickets for women enthusiasts and also unveiled the WPL anthem digitally. Though there is excitement building around WPL, advertisers are in a wait-and-watch mode. The free tickets to women and nominal charges for men by BCCI are to make sure that this year there will be momentum for the matched. All the matches are going to be held at Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium and Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium, this leaves the rest of the states from participating in the first-ever Woman’s Cricket IPL.

Indiantelevision.com spoke to Karan Taurani, SVP at Elara Capital, on the WPL, the initiatives by BCCI and what are advertisers thinking about investing in this year’s WPL…..

Taurani says, “The strategy that will make sure that this content reaches the masses in a big way. BCCI can provide free tickets and this saves crores of rupees on promotions”

He goes on to add, that nearly 80-90 per cent of revenue for the franchise is from media rights, the giving away of free tickets will not dent this and it will build awareness and more people especially women will come to the stadiums to watch the matches. There are other avenues of revenue for the BCCI in terms of F&B, in-stadia advertising and other tie-ups. 

On the question of what would be the 10-sec rates for the WPL, Taurani says, “the rates will be anywhere between 60,000 – 70,000 as compared to 14-16 lakhs for the Men’s IPL. Also this year the environment is a little tough and many new age companies and start-ups who spent large amounts last year on IPL have decided to cut their spends even for the men’s IPL’’. 

Taurani says, “WPL depends on Star players to drive eyeballs and this will eventually increase ad spends. If this season WPL throws up a few star women cricketers, it will be a success, but it is a long way for WPL

Mumbai: Ashok Leyland, the Indian flagship of the Hinduja Group and a commercial vehicle manufacturer, announced its partnership with T20 cricket franchise Mumbai Indians, as their Principal Partner for the upcoming Women’s T20 League in India. As a part of this association, Ashok Leyland logo and name will feature on the back of the team’s jersey.

Ashok Leyland has signed a two-year partnership with the team, which begins this edition, and will continue till 2024.

Ashok Leyland MD, CEO Shenu Agarwal said, “We are proud to associate with Mumbai Indians Women’s T20 Team as their Principal Partner. In a society where gender roles are prescribed, our women achievers are breaking the stereotype. At Ashok Leyland we live by our brand philosophy – “Koi Manzil Door Nahin.”, and through this partnership, we aim to showcase these women who are pursuing their dreams and changing the face of Women’s Sports in India.”

A Mumbai Indians spokesperson said, “We are glad to have Ashok Leyland partner with us, on this momentous journey in women’s cricket. We are looking forward to working closely with them, to help build a strong narrative around women’s cricket and through our platforms, give Ashok Leyland the opportunity to engage with our paltan around the globe.”

Mumbai Indians will play the tournament opener on 4 March 2023 at the DY Patil stadium, Mumbai.

In its inaugural season, the Women’s T20 League will host 20 league matches and two playoff games over the course of 23 days, with the finals scheduled on 26 March 2023 at the Brabourne Stadium.

Mumbai: Yatra Online Ltd. India’s corporate travel services provider and one of India’s leading online travel companies, has announced their partnership with Delhi Capitals for the much-awaited maiden edition of the Women’s Premier League (‘WPL’). Delhi Capitals, a franchise team co-owned by India’s eminent business groups JSW and GMR Group, is regarded as one of the world’s leading sports franchises. With women cricket taking center stage in the country, this partnership will celebrate and empower women in sports.

The T20 cricket tournament for Women organized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is being looked at as a game-changer in women’s sports. Women’s cricket and players have long wished for the WPL, which will now be a reality within a week. With all eyes on the tournament, it will rapidly become a platform to inspire younger talent from different parts of the country to realise their full potential and have a presence and voice at the world stage right from the hinterlands

Commenting on the partnership, Yatra Online Ltd.  whole-time director & CEO Dhruv Shringi said, “At Yatra, we have always been ahead of the curve and we believe in supporting platforms that reflect the same vision. As a leading corporate travel services provider and one of India’s leading online travel companies, we are extremely proud to partner with  Delhi Capitals, Women’s Premier League. Indian women are making significant strides in sports today and inspiring the entire country. We are happy to be a part of this journey of Delhi Capitals players as they make a historic  debut in this format in the coming days. We are sure that WPL will garner eyeballs and win the hearts of millions of cricket fans across the country and globe.”

Delhi Capitals CEO Dhiraj Malhotra on the announcement said, “It’s our privilege and honour to have Yatra Online Limited on board as our official partner for the Women’s Premier League 2023. Yatra.com is synonymous with travelling far and high, and we are certain that the leading online travel company will play a huge role in the growth of Delhi Capitals as a brand.”

The initial season of the WPL begins on 4 March 2023 and will be broadcast in India on the Sports18 TV channel and the Jio Cinema app.

Overall, the Yatra Online Limited and Delhi Capitals partnership is a win-win for both parties, as it allows them to leverage their respective strengths and capabilities. This partnership has the potential to drive value for both Yatra and the Delhi Capitals, while also providing a great experience for cricket fans across the country.

Mumbai: Delhi Capitals has announced its collaboration with JSW Paints as the team’s principal sponsor for the inaugural season of the TATA Women’s Premier League scheduled in Mumbai from 4 March to 26 March, 2023. As part of this brand collaboration, all the Delhi Capitals women’s team will wear the JSW Paints logo on the front of their match and training jersey throughout the entire duration of the tournament.

JSW Foundation (Chairperson Sangita Jindal and Svamaan Financial Anushree Jindal flagged off the current season for the Delhi Capitals Women’s IPL team as well as showcased the new jersey. The flagging off ceremony reiterates the significance JSW Group attaches to the WPL tournament as a progressive step in recognizing the diversity of sportsmanship and the love for cricket among Indians. The brand partnership between Delhi Capitals and JSW Paints reiterates the massive boost given to women’s cricket in India while enabling the discovery of fresh talent we can develop to compete with some of the best women cricketers in the world.

Speaking about the association, Delhi Capitals CEO Dhiraj Malhotra said, “We are absolutely thrilled to join hands with JSW Paints as our Principal Brand Partner. The Women’s Premier League is a turning point in Indian cricket. For the inaugural edition of this tournament, we wanted to associate with a brand that’s disruptive and known for its innovative thinking to make this world a better place. Our partnership with JSW Paints reiterates our common thinking and strategic intent to reinvent the way the game is played in our respective domains.”

JSW Paints CEO &  Jt. MD  AS Sundaresan said, “We are delighted to join hands with Delhi Capitals as their Principal Sponsor for the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League. As we thoughtfully build the paint company of the future, we cherish such game-changing moments that bring about greater participation of women. We’re incredibly excited and extend our best wishes to this maiden league.”

Mumbai: Viacom18 announced their expert panel for the first-ever season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), starting 4 March. Fans are in for a treat as Anjum Chopra, Punam Raut, Reema Malhotra, Veda Krishnamurthy, Natalie Germanos, Kate Cross, Mel Jones, Zaheer Khan, Aakash Chopra, Venkatesh Prasad, Parthiv Patel, Saba Karim, Pragyan Ojha, and Abhinav Mukund will come together for a five language presentation in 4K in English and Hindi on JioCinema for free.

The season-opener on 4 March will see Gujarat Giants taking on Mumbai Indians, which will be presented in English, Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, and Telugu on JioCinema for no cost. On TV, viewers can catch the action live in English and Telugu on Sports18 1 SD & HD, in Hindi on Sports18 Khel, in Kannada on Colors Kannada Cinema, and in Tamil on Colors Tamil. 

“We are thrilled to present the first season of the Women’s Premier League across JioCinema and multiple channels of our network. Our efforts are focused on offering viewers an immersive experience which is accessible, affordable, and in multiple languages to scale up the league’s impact and reach,” said Viacom18 Sports Head of Content Siddharth Sharma. “Through our wide-spread coverage, including 4K presentation in English and Hindi, we aim to bring the excitement and competitiveness of the league to millions of sports fans across the country in their favourite language for free on JioCinema. We look forward to an exciting season of top-class cricket and celebrating the incredible cricketers on the field.”

The network also dropped a wide range of content, offering fans and viewers compelling background stories of players with insights from their families and coaches. Fans will also be treated with a peek into the training sessions of all the teams, along with expert reviews leading up to the start of the inaugural season.

Through the season, Viacom18 will offer studio shows with expert analysis and player interviews. The anchor-led daily show will see Sanjana Ganesan and Ridhima Pathak debuting for the network alongside Suhail Chandhok and Anant Tyagi. In addition, fans can enjoy a weekly wrap-up of top action from WPL every Saturday through the season.

Viacom18 has signed TATA Motors, TATA Capital, Hero Vida, Bank of Baroda, MPL Striker, World Gold Council, H&M, JSW Paints, Noise and Apar Industries as sponsors for their inaugural WPL presentation.

The announcement comes on the back of Viacom18’s WPL campaign launch titles, Naam Hoga Tera Har Zubaan Par. You can watch the film here. 

Mumbai: Rario, a cricket fan club specialising in exclusively licensed digital player cards and fan experiences, has partnered with Punjab Kings (PBKS), a team of the Indian Premier League (IPL), to offer its exclusive digital player cards to fans across the world for three years.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is the biggest tournament in cricket and has revolutionized the sport with its fan engagement and entertainment. Therefore, the partnership between Rario and PBKS is to create unique digital player cards using cutting-edge blockchain technology is a significant milestone for the cricket community.

Moreover, this partnership caters to the need of PBKS fans, who value collectibles,  these unique digital cards of players like Shikhar Dhawan, Arshdeep Singh and Sam Curran, among others, will enable fans to own limited edition collectibles.

Owning these cards is not just a source of pride for fans; it also grants them access to the inner circle of their favourite team and gives them an experience like never before. With these exclusive cards, the fans can enjoy a variety of benefits, including building a collection, meeting players, watching PBKS matches like a celebrity, and receiving exclusive signed merchandise, among other things.

In a statement, Rario’s co-founder & chief executive officer Ankit Wadhwa said, “As a passionate cricket fan and an entrepreneur, I am thrilled to announce our partnership with one of the most popular and leading IPL teams. Our goal is to revolutionise the fan experience by leveraging the latest technologies to bring the excitement and energy of the game straight to the fans. We are dedicated to providing an immersive, interactive and engaging experience for cricket fans everywhere. I am confident that our partnership with the Punjab Kings will be a game-changer for Cricket fans and the ecosystem.”

“We at Punjab Kings actively look for partnerships to help our fans get closer to us. The Rario partnership is a great opportunity to engage with our fans before the new IPL season begins. We hope our fans enjoy connecting with us through the Rario experiences.” said KPH Dream Cricket Pvt.CEO Satish Menon.