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Tag: Cricket

  • Harbhajan Singh and Mithali Raj play cricket with school children

    Harbhajan Singh and Mithali Raj play cricket with school children

    Mumbai: Students at Raje Shivaji Vidyalay in Dharavi, Mumbai, were given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity when cricket legends Harbhajan Singh and Mithali Raj visited their school on Wednesday. The veterans spent a fun-filled morning with the school children at the special event organised by Disney Star in collaboration with Yuva Unstoppable.

    The duo, who are part of the Star Sports commentary panel for the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, played cricket with the kids and gave them real-time game insights.  

    The students had a memorable day because an exciting game of cricket was followed by a heart-to-heart conversation with their favorite heroes.

    Former Team India spinner Harbhajan Singh said, “I would like to thank Disney Star, along with Yuva Unstoppable, who gave me the opportunity to come here and spend quality time to play cricket with these children. Whenever we meet with kids, the happiness and smiles we see on their faces, is the real victory in life. Today, their day was made along with mine.”

    Former India Women’s captain Mithali Raj said, “Today was a surreal experience and it was amazing to interact with some talented students at Dharavi. I had a lot of fun playing and even shared a few cricket tips with them. Our country has plenty of talent, both girls and boys, and such kind of events will only inspire them to excel and work hard in everything that they want to do. Today was a special day which I will remember for a long time!”

    For over two years, Disney Star has been associated with Yuva Unstoppable for the School Transformation Program. Disney Star has so far transformed 40 schools across the country.  

    The program will enhance government-run schools by renovating the school campus, thereby encouraging students to continue their education. Sanitation (separate toilets for boys and girls), improved access to water (separate drinking and dishwashing areas), making the school building brighter, educational paintings, smart classrooms, rainwater harvesting, providing tablets for digital learning, equipping science labs, and more are some of the key areas of this intervention.

  • 27th Sports acquires marketing mandate for India-Bangladesh test & ODI series

    27th Sports acquires marketing mandate for India-Bangladesh test & ODI series

    Mumbai: The global investment firm 27th Investments-backed 27th Sports has acquired exclusive commercial rights for India-Bangladesh’s three-match ODI and 2-match test series.

    Dubai-based 27th Sports have acquired exclusive rights from Impress-Mattra Consortium, the on-ground rights holder of all Bangladesh cricket team’s home series.

    This is the third major signing in cricket for 27th Sports after the India-Sri Lanka Women’s ODI & T20 Series in Sri Lanka and the high-profile Road Safety World Series T20 where the Sachin Tendulkar-led India Legends team emerged winners defeating Sri Lanka Legends for the second consecutive time in the final.

    Recently, 27th Sports also acquired The Hawks franchisee in the World Tennis League to be held in Dubai from December 19 to 24. The team comprises Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem, Elena Rybakina and Annett Kontaveit.          

    27th Investment CEO and president Anil Damani said, “I thank the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) for giving us this opportunity and believing in our capabilities to deliver even in times of elevated global uncertainty. I am also very happy that in line with our vision of investing in growing economies, Bangladesh has a strong track record of growth and development, and like the Bangladesh cricket team, which has time and again proved that they can be world beaters, the country is also regarded as a rising star among South Asian economies.”  

    Speaking about the high-voltage series, 27th Sports CEO and co-founder Sangeet Shirodkar said, “It has been a matter of great pride and honour to partner with the Impress-Mattra Consortium for India-Bangladesh series where all top players of both countries will be in fray. We are extremely proud to be working in this series as exclusive commercial rights partner and we are thankful to all in Bangladesh who have made this possible. It is also a great opportunity for us to strengthen our ties with our partners here and widen our network in Bangladesh which is one of the fastest emerging markets in world cricket. Bangladesh’s passion for cricket is second to none and their rivalry with India is also well documented, so I look forward to an exciting series and a memorable association with the Impress-Mattra Consortium and the BCB.”

    The Impress-Mattra Consortium has been working with BCB for more than a decade now. The consortium currently holds the right for all the home series in Bangladesh till 2023 which includes the India versus Bangladesh series to be played in December 2022.

    Impress-Mattra Consortium spokesperson Sanaul Arefeen said, “Bangladesh cricket will see a new marketing partner in this series. The country’s cricket market is growing, and as a result, not only domestic organizations but foreign companies too are also showing interest in joining Bangladesh cricket today, which is not only helping the country’s cricket move forward, but also creating a healthy competitive field. We welcome 27th Sports and are excited to have them on board for this series.”

  • Viacom18 & Cricket South Africa announce long-term partnership

    Viacom18 & Cricket South Africa announce long-term partnership

    Mumbai: Viacom18 Sports, India’s newest sports network, today announced a seven-year partnership with Cricket South Africa (CSA) for exclusive digital and TV rights for all international cricket from 2024–2031. As part of the association, Viacom18 will present all senior men’s international and senior women’s international competitions played in South Africa. CSA’s previous broadcast partner was Disney Star.

    Viacom18’s portfolio includes the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, starting 20 November ending 18 December. All matches will be exclusively aired live on JioCinema and pay-TV channels Sports18 (1 SD and HD).

    The Cricket South Africa partnership deepens Viacom18’s commitment to present world-class cricket action from South Africa after they recently announced a 10-year partnership with SA20, South Africa’s newly-launched premier cricket league. Cricket South Africa and Viacom18 will work closely to enhance the showcase of international cricket from South Africa to the passionate fanbase in India.

    India and South Africa, the parties states, have a history of producing incredible contests, which have been complemented by mutual admiration, whether it was for India being the first nation to play against Proteas after apartheid or for touring the Rainbow Nation at the height of Omicron in December 2021.

    The partnership will cover all international cricket from South Africa, including the Mahatma Gandhi-Nelson Mandela Series between India and South Africa. The deal includes other series like the Basil D’Oliveira against England and tours from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, the West Indies, Australia, and Bangladesh.

    “South Africa is one of the most competitive and formidable teams across formats in world cricket, and this partnership will offer some great contests to the cricket-loving fans in India. The association with Cricket South Africa is a testament to our pursuit to offer fans an unrivalled, high-quality broadcast experience of some of the best cricket action in primetime,” said Viacom18 Sports CEO Anil Jayaraj.

    CSA CEO Pholetsi Moseki said, “CSA is pleased to partner with a broadcaster of Viacom18’s stature. This is an affirmation of our intention to beam to our waiting fans the flavour of cricket that South Africa has in store, which is always exhilarating and entertaining. This partnership is the beginning of a journey that will offer the thrill of watching cricket, brought to you by a broadcaster that values the viewer experience as supreme.”

    The addition of the Cricket South Africa rights strengthens Viacom18’s portfolio of sporting events, including the Indian Premier League, SA20, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, NBA, Diamond League, LaLiga, Serie A, Ligue 1, and top ATP and BWF events.

  • Prime Video launches ‘Taking Guard: India’s Quest for Kiwi Glory’

    Prime Video launches ‘Taking Guard: India’s Quest for Kiwi Glory’

    Mumbai: Prime Video is all set to broadcast India men’s tour of New Zealand beginning from 18 to 30 November. Ahead of the tournament in New Zealand, the OTT platform has also launched a 6-part mini-series Taking Guard: India’s Quest for Kiwi Glory.

    This mini-series is part of Prime Video’s special programming initiative around the upcoming series that starts on 18 November with the first T20I and concludes with the last ODI on 30 November.

    The series explores India’s fabled rivalry with the Kiwis, going back to 1967, through archival match footage, sound bytes and graphics. The documentary moves seamlessly through varied themes chronicling India’s tour to New Zealand over the years. Former greats of the game, who lend their voice in telling this riveting story include Ravi Shastri, Ajit Agarkar, Danny Morrison, Simon Doull and Ian Smith. Harsha Bhogle, who has not only witnessed this rivalry from close quarters but has been the voice narrating the highs and lows from some of these matches from the commentary box, also talks about his experience.

    “At Prime Video we are committed to super-serving our customers in India, providing on-demand access to the best in entertainment across formats, genres and language,” said Prime Video India head of sports Chaitanya Divan.

    He added, “We are now excited to bring them the best in live sports and provide a new viewing experience of the much anticipated bi-lateral tour this November, between the two titans of the cricketing world – India and New Zealand.” 

    “Indians have a huge appetite for cricket and we are excited to present the new exclusive mini-series Taking Guard before India’s highly-anticipated tour to New Zealand in a few weeks. Featuring insights and analysis from cricketing legends, Taking Guard casts the spotlight on the rivalry between the two countries, which barely sees any baring of the teeth, snarling or heated moments on the field but is full of intense competition and peppered with mutual respect. We are excited and look forward to this contest between two terrific and evenly-matched sides and will announce a few more initiatives for cricket fans in the coming weeks as the action moves from Australia to New Zealand.” Divan added further.

  • Disney+ Hotstar launches ‘Follow On’ for the T20 World Cup’s freemium users

    Disney+ Hotstar launches ‘Follow On’ for the T20 World Cup’s freemium users

    Mumbai: Amidst the on-going ICC Men’s T20 World Cup fever, Disney+ Hotstar elevates the cricketainment experience with the launch of Follow On. This is a special video feed that gives a real-time account of the cricket match – complete with stats, expert opinions, and insights into the game. Disney+ Hotstar makes Follow On available for all users—subscribers as well as freemium users. Freemium users on Disney+ Hotstar will be switched to Follow On after the free live cricket timer (a free sampling of live cricket offered to freemium users) expires, to be able to follow the game seamlessly.

    Follow On’s viewers can get analysis with graphics and visuals in Hindi by cricket commentators such as Sunil Vaidya, Sanjay Banerjee, Raman Bhanot, Vineet Garg, Naveen Srivastava, Reema Malhotra, Ajay Mehra, Padmajeet Sehrawat, and Manoj Sharma.

    A Disney+ Hotstar spokesperson said, “Disney+ Hotstar has always delivered the best-in-class live sports experience in India. With Follow On, we’re raising the bar by democratising access to premium cricket entertainment by providing a real-time account of the cricket action to all users—including our freemium viewers.

    “Every Disney+ Hotstar user is valuable to us, and we constantly strive to deliver innovation that helps users engage deeper with our platform. We look forward to rolling out Follow On to users, which will further bolster Disney+ Hotstar’s position as the one-stop-shop for cricketainment.”

  • TradeIndia encapsulates buzz around T20 World Cup

    TradeIndia encapsulates buzz around T20 World Cup

    Mumbai: TradeIndia has rolled out a new campaign encapsulating the nationwide buzz during the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The ad film for the campaign features TV sensation Shaleen Malhotra.

    To carry out this campaign, TradeIndia partnered with Dream Slate Pictures, who conceptualised and amplified the campaign on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

    Cinematically blending the flavours of cricket with TradeIndia’s offerings, the campaign, “#SabMilegaYahinMilega,” highlights the bulk buying services it offers MSMEs.

    The idea behind “#SabMilegaYahinMilega” derives from TradeIndia’s key offerings. Just as every over in cricket needs the batsman to choose a different strategy, every business, big or small, has different needs.

    One such critical need is bulk buying, which requires a lot of legwork and finding the right supplier can take a great deal of research. TradeIndia makes the entire process easier and more seamless by giving users a quick way to gauge the trustworthiness of a particular supplier through transaction levels and response rates. The B2B e-commerce site features suppliers from across the world, giving businesses a platform to buy goods in bulk at wholesale prices.

    Elaborating on the campaign, TradeIndia CEO Sandip Chhettri said, “In India, cricket isn’t just a sport but a shared emotion that connects billions of fans across genders, generations, and cultures. In our country, where the Cricket World Cup is celebrated as a festival, this film provides an opportunity to connect with consumers, manifesting offerings in a language everyone understands. TradeIndia has always leveraged innovative ways to reach out to consumers and this campaign stands testimony to the memorable experiences they can have with the brand while enjoying the cricket craze.”

    Speaking from the creative perspective, Dream Slate Pictures executive director Kushaal Chawla stated, “Being part of the TradeIndia World Cup cricket campaign is an exciting experience as the company is one of the most reputed B2B marketplaces. With the World Cup underway, we believe our concept capitalising on the nationwide cricket mania will be a massive hit for the brand. Through this film, we want fans to be entirely engrossed from the outset, eventually associating their love for cricket with TradeIndia. That’s how the “Cricket Matlab India, Business Matlab TradeIndia” campaign emerged. This promo aims to foster robust trust and recall value between the brand and its cricket-loving users.”

  • YuppTV bags broadcasting rights for T20 World Cup 2022

    YuppTV bags broadcasting rights for T20 World Cup 2022

    Mumbai: YuppTV, an over-the-top (OTT) South Asian content provider, has acquired the broadcast rights for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, scheduled to take place between 16 October and 13 November.

    YuppTV has bagged the exclusive broadcast rights for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Australia 2022 for 75 countries, including Continental Europe, Malaysia (non-exclusive), Japan, China, Hong Kong (non-exclusive), Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, and Southeast Asia (except Singapore). The tournament will be telecast live over YuppTV’s platform.

    The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 is the 8th edition of the tournament and will be held across seven venues in Australia between 16 October and 13 November. The tournament features 16 teams competing for the world title of T20 champions. A total of 45 matches are scheduled to be played in the tournament.

    YuppTV CEO & founder Uday Reddy said, “Cricket is one of the biggest sports in the entire world, with more than one billion fans situated in different corners of the globe. T20 began as an exciting format, and in recent years, has become one of the most watched and loved forms of the game.”

    He adds, “The exciting match-up between international teams, nation versus nation, for world dominance is guaranteed to be an enthralling experience for viewers, who will be gearing up from the comfort of their homes to watch the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 to support their favourite teams and take them to victory. It brings us immense pleasure to bring the tournament to millions of people across Asia and Europe, and we look forward to having users tune in to the match on our platform to catch all the action live!”

    Fans from across the world await the most anticipated fixture, India vs Pakistan, which will take place on Sunday, 23 October in MCG, Australia. The final match of the tournament is scheduled on 13 November where the winning team will claim the ultimate prize in T20 cricket.

  • Indian speedsters Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Chetan Sakariya partner with Rario to launch their cricket NFTs

    Indian speedsters Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Chetan Sakariya partner with Rario to launch their cricket NFTs

    Mumbai: Indian speedsters Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, and Chetan Sakariya have partnered with Rario, which claims to be the world’s first officially licenced cricket digital collectibles platform. The exclusive partnership with the platform will help launch their own non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The pacers join Rishabh Pant, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rashid Khan, Jason Holder, Quinton De Kock, and many others as player partners on the platform.

    Singh said, “This is a great marriage between sports and technology, and a wonderful opportunity for me to be closer to my fans, who continue to give me so much love and support. I look forward to sharing some of my most cherished possessions and connecting with my fans in the biggest community of cricket fans, Rario.”

    “With this brand-new partnership for my NFTs with Rario, I am thrilled at the opportunity to engage with the fans at a much deeper level. Cutting edge technology, combined with the fervour for one of the most loved sports in the world, will surely add to the experience of the cricket fans,” Krishna said.

    Sakariya said, “I am thrilled at the opportunity to engage with the fans at a much deeper level. I am looking forward to sharing some of my most cherished possessions and connecting with my fans in the biggest community of cricket fans, Rario.”

    Rario co-founder, CEO Ankit Wadhwa said, “I am excited to have Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, and Chetan Sakariya on board. In just the last year and a half, they have become the most talked about bowlers. They have consistently delivered consistent performances for me. From a strategy gaming point of view, anyone with an eye for talent will know that Prasidh, Arshdeep, and Chetan’s Player Cards will be highly sought-after in Rario’s utility ecosystem.”

    Fairplay Sports co-founder Bandana Chhetri, who manages Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, and Chetan Sakariya said, “We are excited about Prasidh, Arshdeep, and Chetan’s partnerships with Rario. Rario is the best when it comes to licenced cricket digital collectibles platforms, and we are proud that we could get the partnership done.”

    Rario marketing head Shubham Agarwal said, “We are excited to have Arshdeep, Chetan, and Prasidh onboard. They are rising young bowlers who have proved their mettle at a young age and with their skills would bring great value to Rario’s NFT utilities.”

  • Cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara joins FantasyDangal as brand ambassador

    Cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara joins FantasyDangal as brand ambassador

    Mumbai: Fantasy sports platform FantasyDangal has announced the onboarding of cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara as its brand ambassador. With the collaboration, Pujara will appear in upcoming campaigns and promote FantasyDangal as an established fantasy sports platform.

    Pujara is the second-fastest Indian to reach 1,000 test runs. He has scored 6,792 runs in 96 Tests, including three double centuries and 18 centuries. In India’s first Test Series victory on Australian territory, his three hundreds helped him win the Man of the Series title. He has been a pillar of the Indian batting order for the most of the past ten years.

    A batsman of rare disposition, with his love for grinding down attacks, Pujara has been India’s preferred one-down batsman for years. He is also known for his unbelievable attributes of dependability and trustworthiness in the Indian cricket scene. Hence, the partnership between the batting stalwart and FantasyDangal will bring an influx of sports enthusiasts to the platform and further cement the platform’s position as one of the country’s most trustworthy and user-friendly fantasy sports platforms.

    The company has also launched a customer loyalty programme, under which participants in fantasy sports are eligible to take entirely sponsored trips outside India for free. In addition to the numerous benefits associated with playing on FantasyDangal, users also enjoy the benefits of lightning-fast withdrawals to enjoy their gameplay.

    Speaking on his appointment, Pujara commented, “Sports enthusiasts are increasingly embracing fantasy sports in the country. With FantasyDangal, you are not just playing for entertainment but also learning how to master fantasy sports. As a brand ambassador, I am excited to collaborate with such a dynamic company.”

    As a fast-developing fantasy sports platform with over two million current active users, FantasyDangal aims to become India’s next-door online fantasy sports paradise. With cricket and kabaddi in its existing catalogue, it plans to add new sports to its repertoire, like football and basketball, in the coming days. Other than classic fantasy, they also have batting, bowling, and innuendo fantasy. The platform provides second innings fantasy with a twist where one needs to select only seven players, which involves strategy compared to selecting eleven players.

    Apart from this, they have a loyalty programme in the industry called the Dangal MVP (most valuable player) programme, which involves cashbacks, rewards, and fully sponsored international trips for the users. Trips abroad and live match experiences from the stadium make this programme unique, where users can experience seeing matches live on their app.

    FantasyDangal business head Ankit Anand said, “Cheteshwar Pujara has set some unmatched records in global cricket and is regarded as one of the best batsmen. Besides being a world-class player, he also represents trust and reliability in Indian cricket, which ties in seamlessly with FantasyDangal’s ethos. Our connection with him sets us on a journey where we picture perfection due to our never-ending efforts to excel in our field and provide the best experience to our dedicated users.”

  • Inox brings T20 Men’s World Cup 2022 in cinemas; inks deal with ICC

    Inox brings T20 Men’s World Cup 2022 in cinemas; inks deal with ICC

    Mumbai: Inox Leisure on Wednesday announced signing an agreement with the International Cricket Council (ICC) for live screening of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 matches on the cinema screens at its multiplexes across the country.

    The eighth edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup commences on 16 October, with the super 12 stage kicking off on 22 October, and the final scheduled for 13 November in Melbourne.

    Inox will showcase all group matches to be played by Team India, starting with their first match on 23 October against Pakistan, followed by the semi-finals and the final match. The live matches will be screened across Inox multiplexes in more than 25 cities. Inox’s initiative of screening live matches will provide a supreme stadium-like experience in movie theatres. The comfort of the cinema hall in an air-conditioned environment will add to their overall cricket watching experience in the company of like-minded fans of the game of cricket. In addition, fans will be able to enjoy exciting food-combos and scrumptious gourmet options served at Inox cinemas while enjoying the matches.

    Commenting on the announcement, Inox Leisure chief operating officer Anand Vishal said, “By screening cricket in cinemas, we are bringing together the thrill of the giant screen experience and thunderous sound with the most loved sport in our country, and that is cricket. The excitement and emotions of the World Cup would add to this combination, resulting in a virtual treat for cricket lovers. We are grateful to the International Cricket Council for providing us with an opportunity yet again to offer an all-immersive cricket-viewing experience for the fans. We are prepared to welcome our guests and let them take their festive spirits to a new level with this cricket festival on the giant screen.”