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Tag: Anil Kumble

  • Men of Platinum’s Honourthe7 pays tribute to MS Dhoni’s enduring legacy

    Men of Platinum’s Honourthe7 pays tribute to MS Dhoni’s enduring legacy

    MUMBAI: As IPL 2025 sets the stage for another thrilling season, Men of Platinum unveils Honourthe7, a heartfelt tribute to cricketing legend MS Dhoni. This fan-powered campaign invites supporters to express their admiration for Dhoni in a unique and deeply personal way through a seven-word tribute.

    Building on the success of the Men of Platinum x Dhoni Signature Edition, the initiative transforms fan tributes into AI-generated video anthems, featuring the fan and their message an unforgettable digital keepsake to be shared across social media. The most compelling entries will win match tickets to select CSK games, offering a chance to witness Dhoni’s greatness live.

    With IPL fever at its peak, Men of Platinum is amplifying the campaign across digital, social, and print platforms, celebrating Dhoni’s management, resilience, and composure values that mirror the strength of platinum itself.

    To take the storytelling even further, the brand has partnered with Espn Cricinfo to launch an exclusive content series, Men of Platinum presents The Dhoni Legacy. Hosted by Raunaq Kapoor, the series features legendary cricketing voices including Anil Kumble, Tom Moody, Ambati Rayudu, Ian Bishop, and Sanjay Manjrekar who will share first-hand insights and personal anecdotes about Dhoni’s remarkable journey. Timed around key CSK match days, the series blends real-time match reflections with Dhoni’s defining moments, reinforcing his enduring legacy.

    In addition to the Honourthe7 campaign and The Dhoni Legacy series, Men of Platinum is rolling out fan-focused activations, including memes, superfan integrations, and digital tributes, creating an emotionally charged brand moment that resonates with CSK supporters.

    Platinum Guild International (PGI)-India consumer marketing director Sujala Martis shared, “The Dhoni Signature Edition is more than just a collection it’s a tribute to the values and legacy of a true icon. This IPL, as Dhoni takes the field once again, we are giving fans powerful new ways to express their admiration. Just like platinum, Dhoni’s legacy is rare and enduring and this campaign honours that spirit.”

    Famous Innovations group creative director Tenzin Wangdi added, “Honourthe7 is a collective tribute, written by those who have watched, cheered, and been inspired by a legend.”

    Wavemaker chief client officer Shekhar Banerjee stated, “We have transformed fan tributes into timeless digital legacies, ensuring Dhoni’s enduring influence and the Men of Platinum philosophy shine brighter than ever.” 

  • IPL Auction 2024: When and where to watch, date, time, live streaming, venue

    IPL Auction 2024: When and where to watch, date, time, live streaming, venue

    Mumbai: The IPL 2024 Auction will take place on Tuesday 19 December 2023, at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai. 333 cricketers will go under the hammer, of whom 214 are Indians and 119 are overseas players, with a maximum of 77 slots to fill. The highest reserve price for a player is Rs 2 crore, with 23 players such as Travis Head, Steve Smith, Harshal Patel, Shardul Thakur, and Lockie Ferguson listing themselves at that value. Gujarat Titans will come into the auction with the highest purse with Rs 38.15 crore while the Lucknow Super Giants have the lowest purse balance at Rs 13.15 crore.

    JioCinema will bring back its multi-language coverage of the league, streaming the auction in seven languages: English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Punjabi, and Bhojpuri. Each language will have former Indian cricketers and experts to cover the auction, including the likes of AB de Villiers, Eoin Morgan, Suresh Raina, Anil Kumble, Hanuma Vihari, Abhinav Mukund, Veda Krishnamurthy, and many more.

    JioCinema will also live stream a mock auction with the likes of Suresh Raina, Anil Kumble, Mile Hesson, Eoin Morgan, Robin Uthappa, and others on 18 December at 12 noon to give viewers a flavour of what to expect from auction day and analyse potential strategies.

    Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming IPL Auction 2024 live stream:

    What: IPL Auction 2024

    When: 19 December 2023 (Tuesday)  

    Where: Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    Time: Pre-auction analysis begins at 12 noon, followed by live auction coverage 1:00 PM onwards

    Live streaming in India: JioCinema 

  • “Cricket’s success on the field has a very real impact on Indians”: FGII’s Anup Rau

    “Cricket’s success on the field has a very real impact on Indians”: FGII’s Anup Rau

    Mumbai: In line with its continued thrust on ‘Innovation’, Future Generali India Insurance Company (FGII), has launched its annual report for FY 2022-23 in a never-seen-before avatar. This report comes in the form of a book and is one of India’s most comprehensive cricketing memoir-cum-annual report. The annual report consists of a specially curated collector’s item – a section on Game Changing Moments – penned by the sports journalist, Ayaz Memon.

    The book encapsulates the vibrant journey of Indian cricket since 1932 – showcasing a remarkable voyage through 18 pivotal Game Changing Moments that have reshaped Indian cricket’s narrative and left an indelible mark on the nation’s collective consciousness. The report is, further, enriched by exclusive interviews by Memon with four cricketers across different eras – Mohinder Amarnath, Anil Kumble, VVS Laxman and Mithali Raj.

    The memoir-cum-annual report was launched by cricketer Anil Kumble, in the presence of the author of Game Changing Moments Memon and Future Generali India Insurance MD & CEO Anup Rau, along with other dignitaries. Host and actress, Mandira Bedi, anchored the ceremony, and Kumble faced a few turners from her repertoire – reminiscing the long climb of Indian Cricket to its present glory and his experiences. At the event, Memon narrated a book chapter, beautifully brought to life through a sand art presentation. To add an exciting twist to the proceedings, Kumble took centre stage and performed an extraordinary act by bowling to Rau. The climax occurred when Kumble’s delivery to Rau struck the LED screen, shattering it and revealing the long-awaited annual report.

    Indiantelevision.com on the sidelines of the launch of the book, caught up with FGII’s MD & CEO Anup Rau

    Edited excerpts

    On the brief about the book launch

    We always make our annual report interesting to connect with our stakeholders. We had a comic book format, we had it as a cookbook. Last year we sold 3500 for the Bollywood blockbuster report. This year is cricket, which we believe it’s kind of a new religion in this country. I do believe there’s a lot of inspiration businesses can take from sport because my personal view is that be it sport or be it business, It’s a combination of both science and art. It’s not just science alone, I think it’s somewhere the intersection of these two. Ayaz has beautifully penned 18 pivotal moments of Indian cricket like from the time when we made a debut, to the recently concluded WTC finals, and back to back series with Australia, which is one of my personal favourites. And obviously, the 83 World Cup, 2011 World Cup so on and so forth. We also believe we will gain changes in many ways in terms of the way we approach our business, we’re in terms of product distribution technology, by having products for same sex couples being an employer of choice where we tried to be an inclusive employer in many ways. Today, close to one per cent of employees are differently abled, for instance. So you will see a lot of that being captured in the book. And obviously, it’s very interesting reading, and it’s for a good cause in case whatever the proceeds go to charity.

    On including cricket in the annual report and any strategy behind it

    The idea was just to make it interesting. I do believe that one of the things we really want to do is to make sure that some of these financial numbers and figures and understanding is more accessible to the public at large and one of the ways to do this is to make it interesting and easy for people to understand. And the annual report just attempts to do it.

    On some inputs about the book and the reason for being a must read for cricket enthusiasts

    That’s because it captures the history of the game through some of India’s best and most pivotal moments. It takes your eyes, it’s taken us right from our first match. In 1932 to what’s happening right now, we got interviews with legends like Mithali Raj, VVS Laxman, Mohinder Amarnath etc. Today Anil Kumble was himself on stage. Like I said, businesses and sports inspire each other. Not just that, cricket’s success on the field has a very real impact on Indians. And if we do well we will spring in our step that we want to do well, we get inspired by and so on and so forth.

    On any more such initiative in future

    We’ll see. I mean there’s a new annual report for next year, so let’s see what we will do with that!

  • Future Generali India Insurance celebrates cricket through its annual report

    Future Generali India Insurance celebrates cricket through its annual report

    Mumbai:  In line with its continued thrust on ‘Innovation’, Future Generali India Insurance Company (FGII) launched its Annual Report for FY 2022-23 in a never-seen-before avatar. This report comes in the form of a book and is one of India’s most comprehensive cricketing memoir-cum-annual report. The annual report consists of a specially curated collector’s item – a section on Game Changing Moments – penned by the sports journalist, Ayaz Memon.

    The book encapsulates the vibrant journey of Indian cricket since 1932 – showcasing a remarkable voyage through 18 pivotal Game Changing Moments that have reshaped Indian cricket’s narrative and left an indelible mark on the nation’s collective consciousness. The report is, further, enriched by exclusive interviews by Memon with four cricketers across different eras – Mohinder Amarnath, Anil Kumble, VVS Laxman and Mithali Raj.

    The memoir-cum-annual report was launched by cricketer Anil Kumble, in the presence of the author of Game Changing Moments, Memon and Future Generali India Insurance MD & CEO Anup Rau along with other dignitaries. Host and actress, Mandira Bedi, anchored the ceremony, and Kumble faced a few turners from her repertoire – reminiscing the long climb of Indian Cricket to its present glory and his experiences. At the event, Memon narrated a book chapter, beautifully brought to life through a sand art presentation. To add an exciting twist to the proceedings, Kumble took centre stage and performed an extraordinary act by bowling to Rau. The exhilarating climax occurred when Kumble’s delivery to Rau struck the LED screen, shattering it and revealing the long-awaited annual report.

    Speaking at the launch, Kumble said, “Being the nation’s most followed sport, cricket epitomises hope, joy, celebration, sometimes even gloom for this country of a billion plus. But one thing remains constant across the spectrum of emotions – is the inspiration. Be it a valiant loss or a gallant victory, Cricket represents the spirit of “efforts over results” – much like insurance. I would like to congratulate Ayaz, Anup and Team FGII for their efforts in realising this audacious project.”

    The launch of this innovative book comes at an opportune moment, given the Men’s Cricket World Cup is going on, as we speak. India’s hopes are pinned on our formidable team, and I would always wish them the best”, concluded Kumble.

    Dedicated to a country of a billion plus cricketing connoisseurs, this unique book is available across leading national bookstores for in-store purchase and is also available online on Amazon.

    Commenting on the initiative, Rau said, “In the world of insurance and beyond, the true game changers are those who innovate with a purpose. We have transformed our annual report into a collectible cricketing memoir and are making it available for sale. Like in the previous years, the funds generated from the orders of these reports will go for a noble cause to our NGO partners. For us, it’s not just about statistics; it’s about the stories that inspire. This effort is our tribute to the spirit of cricket and the aspirations of a billion-plus fans. And as the Men’s Cricket World Cup unfolds, we wish our home team the very best.”

    Future Generali India Insurance has a unique track record of preparing annual reports, as collectibles, which are offered for purchase to the connoisseurs. The proceeds from purchase of the report goes to Future Generali’s NGO partners. So far, the company has been able to touch 5,000+ lives through the orders received from their previous annual reports.

     

  • Duroflex Mattresses talks about importance of sleep this exam season

    Duroflex Mattresses talks about importance of sleep this exam season

    MUMBAI: This exam season, Duroflex Mattresses is urging parents to pay more attention to the sleep habits of their children who are preparing for exams. The campaign #sleeptoperform, released on World Sleep Day, shines light on the exhaustion kids face while writing exams because of lack of sleep. Anil Kumble, former captain of the India cricket team has lent voice to the campaign.

    Speaking about the campaign, Duroflex Mattresses director marketing Mathew Joseph said, “At Duroflex we are constantly researching on the importance of sleep and creating awareness about it. Today sleep is the first we thing we sacrifice to make more time in the day.  Our internal research showed that, almost 80% of students turn up highly exhausted to write their exam because of not getting adequate sleep in the nights leading up to the exam. Through our Sleep to Perform campaign we want parents to help their kids prioritise sleep as part of exam preparation. Truly is it the easiest revision. We couldn’t think of a more credible voice than Anil Kumble to champion our cause.”

    Happy Mcgarrybowen senior creative director Naren Kaushik M said, “Parents take every precaution to ensure their kids are well prepared to take their board exams. From their diet, study time table to leisure activities; all daily activities are keenly monitored. But in the anticipation of performance in exams, sometimes they tend to overlook the most important aspect of the lot – complete sleep. We wanted to bring attention to this part of a student’s preparation for the exams as Duroflex has always believed in preparing for tomorrow, tonight.”

    “As a parent to two kids who are currently going through exam season, I totally understand how important it is to support our children during this stressful period.  As a sportsperson and coach, I truly stand by the power of sleep to energise the mind and help focus. I urge all parents out there to understand the importance of sleep for the better performance and happiness of our children, this exam season. Let them rest before the test”, said Kumble.

    Duroflex is a pioneer in sleep technology solutions for over five decades. With the Sleep to Perform campaign, Duroflex aims to raise awareness about the importance of a good night’s sleep amongst adults and children alike, especially during this exam season.

  • Taproot Dentsu’s campaign for Network18 CricketNext celebrates opinionated fans

    Taproot Dentsu’s campaign for Network18 CricketNext celebrates opinionated fans

    MUMBAI:  Taproot Dentsu, the creative agency from Dentsu Aegis Network, has rolled out a new campaign for Network 18’s CricketNext app. The app has standard features like live score updates and also acts as a forum for fans voice their opinion and post video comments.

    The campaign aims to celebrate the opinionated fans through two films starring former Indian cricketer, Anil Kumble.

    Speaking about the campaign, Taproot Dentsu creative director Neeraj Kanitkar said, “The all-new CricketNext app is a homage to the ultimate cricket fan who is always ready with an opinion but has nowhere to voice it. This app is a platform where this fan’s every opinion on team selection, on-field strategies etc. is not only heard but welcomed. The TVCs are a dramatic representation of this, with Anil Kumble literally breaking the fourth wall and acknowledging the ultimate fan’s opinion.”

    Network18 group brand advisor Rahul Kansal noted, “Cricket Next is a next level app for the next level fan. Beyond just giving live scores and basic commentary, it invites passionate cricket fans to offer their opinions and share their insights on the game. The film tries to dramatise this promise; that it's an app where fans rule. 

  • Anil Kumble picks his Greatest Indian Test Team on CricketNext

    Anil Kumble picks his Greatest Indian Test Team on CricketNext

    MUMBAI: CricketNext announced a new campaign – Jumbo’s Army – with its newly appointed ambassador, Anil Kumble. The contest will pick eleven winners who would stand a chance to fly down to New Zealand to watch the India – New Zealand’s T20 match. To win the contest cricket enthusiasts are required to download the app and pick a team of Indian Test players who made their debut in or after 1990, when Kumble first played for India. Kumble has been designated as the captain of the team so the contestants have to pick 10 other players from this pool. Winners will be chosen from among those who are able to correctly guess Anil Kumble’s dream team or come closest to it. The contest will be live till end of December, 2018.

    Talking about the contest, Network 18 Digital – CEO, Manish Maheshwari, said, “Our defining ethos at CricketNext is Where Fans Rule – our endeavor is to always put the fan at the center of what we do which is reflected in the idea for this campaign. This initiative also allows fans to display their knowledge of the game and encourages them to step into the shoes of one of India’s all-time greats – Anil Kumble. We are sure that this opportunity to witness the Indian team live in action would really excite fans across the country”

    Gaurav Kalra, the Group Editor – Sports, Network18 said, “We are very excited about this initiative. Anil Kumble is perhaps amongst the most astute, deep -thinking cricketers that the game has ever seen. His team selections would surely reflect his deep understanding of the game – we are all excited to determine if he has included a surprise or two.”

    Speaking on the campaign, legendary player, Anil Kumble, said, “I had a great time selecting my dream team. Given the passion with which fans follow cricket in the country, I am very excited about what fans will submit and if they are able to correctly guess my dream team.”

    CricketNext prides itself in offering the sharpest opinions, incisive analysis, as well as a unique perspective, brought forth by a team of veteran cricket writers and analysts, including Ayaz Memon, Prem Panicker, Siddhartha Vaidyanathan, Amit Varma, and several others. The app features news, photos, videos, podcasts, quizzes, polls, live blogs, interactive graphs and player & team profiles. A distinctive feature about the App is the fact that it has cricketing stats on every international played since 1877.

  • Anil Kumble to be Brand Ambassador of CricketNext

    Anil Kumble to be Brand Ambassador of CricketNext

    MUMBAI: News18’s CricketNext.com has appointed former India captain and head coach Anil Kumble as its brand ambassador. Popularly known as ‘Jumbo’, Kumble is one of the most respected figures in the world game. He will bring his unique perspective in the form of video analysis, expert columns and fan interactions for their audience on the platform. Kumble’s association begins with a special show airing on CNN-News 18 at 11:30am on Saturday (December 1) to preview India’s all-important tour of Australia.

    The complete show will immediately be available on CricketNext for the audience to view online and repeats on Sunday (December 2) at 11:30pm on CNN-News 18.

    One of the greatest cricketers of all time, Kumble is among a select group of players to have rubbed shoulders with three generations of cricketers since his debut in 1990 until his retirement in 2008. Kumble holds the record for the most wicket taken by an Indian in Tests (619) and ODIs 337. He is also only one of two bowlers in history to have claimed all 10 wickets in a Test innings, a feat he achieved against Pakistan in New Delhi in 1999.

    The digital platform’s existing pool of world-class cricket analysts has been amplified with Anil Kumble being on board to share his expert views on the sport. Through the association, the platform intends to enhance its bouquet of quality, original and exclusive content featuring a cricket legend, for its audience.

    Talking about the association, Gaurav Kalra, Group Editor (Sports) – Network18 said, “Anil Kumble is one of the most respected figures in the world cricket. Apart from his outstanding achievements as a player, he is one of the most erudite and thoughtful cricketers of our time with a deep understanding of the game. I am thrilled that Anil will be sharing his thoughts and analysis on the burning issues in the game, across formats, on CricketNext. I am sure our audience will be eagerly awaiting his inputs and in-depth insights on the sport.”

    Kumble’s association coincides with the introduction of the all-new CricketNext app, now available for download. It has a revamped interface, with a dashboard-style, visual live match scorecard featured on the home screen. Apart from live scores, ball by ball commentary and fixtures, the app has a brand new, in-depth statistics section, powered by 141 years of cricket data. Users can start by exploring one of the curated lists of statistics, and then dig deeper into cricket history by filtering the results to find exactly what they’re looking for.

    The app has every past, present and upcoming series, going all the way back to the first Ashes played in 1877. Users can explore matches in detail; summary, quick scorecard, full scorecard, pitch report, squad lists, top performers of each team, head to head analysis, SWOT analysis, as well as batting, bowling and fielding stats. Going beyond the numbers, users can explore the match through interactive graphs.

    CricketNext prides itself in offering the sharpest opinion, incisive analysis, as well as a unique perspective, brought to you by a team of veteran cricket writers and analysts, including Ayaz Memon, Prem Panicker, Siddhartha Vaidyanathan, Amit Varma and several others. The app features news, photos, videos, podcasts, quizzes, polls, live blogs, and player and team profiles.

  • Star India, Microsoft, Anil Kumble redefine fan engagement with real-time bat stats

    Star India, Microsoft, Anil Kumble redefine fan engagement with real-time bat stats

    MUMBAI: With the support of Star India and Microsoft, Anil Kumble’s technology startup, Spektacom Technologies, introduced the latest cricketing innovation – the power bat on 11 October 2018. The technology is powered by the Microsoft Azure cloud platform using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) services. The technology provides players, coaches, commentators, fans and viewers with a completely new and unique way to engage with the sport and help improve their game.

    The Power Bat is a unique concept whereby a lightweight, Azure Sphere-powered sticker is stuck on the shoulder of the bat — a form factor that is completely unobtrusive.  

    Microsoft has been working closely with Spektacom and its founder Anil Kumble, former Indian captain, to incubate and launch the product, as part of its Scale up program. Star India has used the technology successfully in recent series to provide real-time statistics and insights straight off the oval.

    Microsoft executive VP Peggy Johnson said, “We’re excited to be a part of the work Spektacom and Star India are doing to enhance the cricket experience for fans, players and coaches. We’ve already seen the impact that connected devices have had in other industries, and we believe that with the advancements in our AI and cloud services, this is just the beginning of what’s possible for not only cricket but all sports.” 

    Star India senior vice-president Sanjog Gupta said, “All analytics are tools for storytelling and stories are what we engage fans with, more the stories, deeper the engagement. This technology can be used for other sports like football, kabaddi and maybe even other racket sports or where a bat is involved.

    In a live match, as soon as the batsman hits the ball, data on different parameters (speed on impact, twist on impact and quality of the shot — percentage proximity of the ball’s contact to the sweet spot of the willow) are captured in a new unit of measurement titled Power Speks. Microsoft’s Azure Sphere ensures that the data is securely captured and processed.

    As the stats will be detailed, every fan will get to see the analysis as the feed will not only be restricted to Star Sports Select but will also be on all the Star Sports channels.     

    Star India managing director Sanjay Gupta said, “Star India has always strived to redefine and elevate experiences for sports fans. From multi-language feeds and Select Dugout to VR and Watch n’ Play, the coverage of Vivo IPL demonstrates our commitment toward creating new benchmarks in how technology is deployed to deepen fan engagement. The Power Bat promises to be another step in the same direction, and we look forward to the partnership with Anil Kumble (Spektacom) and Microsoft in bringing it to our broadcasts.”

    Kumble said, “Our vision is to bring sports closer to fans through interesting ways of engagement using real-time sports analytics. At the same time, it is important that the technologies used are seamless and do not disrupt the game or obstruct the players. With Microsoft, we have been able to create a secure and effective solution, and with Star India, we have a partner that can stimulate and excite fan engagement.”

    Microsoft believes in leveraging its technology and its people to help sports teams and organisations solve their toughest challenges. By leveraging the company’s intelligent cloud and productivity solutions, sports organisations worldwide are connecting with fans, optimising team and player performance, and managing their operations in new, innovative ways.

  • “Day/Night test match is the way forward”, says Anil Kumble

    “Day/Night test match is the way forward”, says Anil Kumble

    MUMBAI: Within 12 days of being the coach for the Indian Cricket Team, Anil has already grabbed plenty of headlines with what he has said and done since his appointment. The newly crowned head coach has now indulged with his fans with an interactive Q&A session on Twitter.

    Kumble answered questions from serious ones related to the team to personal ones. He opened up talking about why he is nicknamed Jumbo, whether we will see him with a camera in the West Indies, what he thinks about Ravindra Jadeja and what his greatest challenge will be on coach of India.

    He answered the questions in a series of short personalised 30 second video responses , where he is quoted as saying “Navjot Singh Sidhu is the reason I got the name Jumbo. I once bowled a ball, that took off and he screamed ‘Jumbo-jet’, the Jet was lost but I have been called Jumbo ever since. On his greatest challenge as Indian cricket coach he said, “Consistency. It’s not going to be easy. We are playing 17 Tests in the next calendar year. It will be a challenge to keep them fresh and fit over the next year.”

    Twitter India head of sports partnership Aneesh Madani commented, “Nine out of ten Twitter users in India are cricket fans, and Twitter is the best place for them to wake up to the sport and connect with their heroes. This was a historic moment as BCCI made the first ever Twitter Q&A by a Team India Head Coach happen today with #AskTheCoach. In this #OnlyOnTwitter moment, Anil Kumble gave fans exclusive glimpses into his life through the Twitter Q&A app, bringing fans closer and setting a new benchmark for interaction”.

    He also admitted that Day/Night test match is the way forward.

    “I would certainly back Day/Night (Test) cricket. Anything we need to do to get crowd back to Test cricket… At least that is the future. In Day/Night matches, people can come into the stadium after office hours,” replied Kumble.

    Kumble termed Virat Kohli as a “fantastic batsman and leader” and he is excited to work with him. “I am really excited to work with Virat. I have seen him as U-19 at the Royal Challengers Bangalore. He has matured a lot in last couple of years. He is a fantastic batsman and leader. He is really aggressive and so was I. I am really looking forward towards working with him.”

    Answering one of the quesries, he also mentioned that he expects Ravindra Jadeja to do well as the wickets in the Caribbean will suit his style of bowling. He did not forget to mention that he expects good things from all-rounder Jadeja.

    “Jadeja is a wonderful all-rounder. I had a chat with him about his bowling. I think with his bowling, he can do a great job and be effective in West Indies conditions, which is pretty similar to Indian conditions. I have also spoken to him about his batting ability as he can score a lot of runs. I am looking forward to Jadeja doing a great job not only as a bowler but also as batsman,” said the former India captain.