Showing posts with label SPORTS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SPORTS. Show all posts

Wednesday, 5 April 2017

IPL 2017 gets bigger with sponsors, key players missing in the 10th edition

IPL, Virat Kohli, David Warner, RCB

Amid much fan-frenzy, and competition among sponsors and players, the Indian Premiere League turns 10 this season. And organisers are preparing for a big celebration for the landmark edition, which kicks off on Wednesday. Unlike past editions, the 10th season will host eight different opening ceremonies, one before the first home game of each franchise, IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla announced on Monday.

After Pepsi terminated its contract with IPL, Vivo Electronics bagged the title sponsorship for two years in 2015. Business Standard had earlier reported that Vivo will pay Rs 100 crore a year, against the Rs 80 crore Pepsi was paying annually.

Broadcaster Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) has signed up 11 sponsors, including Amazon, and it is targeting over Rs 1,200 crore in advertisement revenue from the 10th season.

E-commerce major Amazon, mobile handset maker Vivo and telecom giant Vodafone will be the presenting sponsors, while Ceat, wire-maker Polycab, Yamaha Motorcycles, Vimal Pan Masala, MakeMytrip, Parle Agro's Frooti, Voltas and YES Bank are associate sponsors.

However, the only regret for some fans of the cricket extravaganza this year is going to be the absence of some blockbuster names in the game. Thanks to international cricketing calendar getting busier with every passing year, the players are getting more prone to injuries. Even before the start of the touranment, injuries have already started bothering the franchises as well. Many star players could give this year's IPL a complete or partial miss.

The biggest among missing names in IPL 2017 is Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Virat Kohli, who is out due to his shoulder injury. Kohli, however, is likely to return on the field by the second week of April.

K L Rahul, Quinton de Kock, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mitchell Marsh, Murali Vijay will completely miss the tournament due to their respective injuries. While Umesh Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja are likely to regain fitness, they would be missing some of the initial matches. Lasith Malinga is on a national duty and might miss the first few matches, while J P Duminy pulled out of the tournamnet citing personal reasons. (READ MORE)

Wednesday, 22 March 2017

Aussie media calls Virat the Donald Trump of sports: Thank you, says Big B

Virat Kohli. Photo: PTI

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has slammed Australian media for comparing Indian skipper Virat Kohli to US President Donald Trump.

The Daily Telegraph on Tuesday had compared Kohli to Trump, saying "Kohli has become the Donald Trump of world sport".

"Aussie media calls Virat, Donald Trump of sports !!... Thank you Aussie media for accepting that he is a winner and the PRESIDENT," Bachchan, 74, tweeted.

The comparison comes after Kohli accused the Australian players of trolling Team India physio Patrick Farhart during the Ranchi Test.

Australian daily also alleged that Kohli launched an attack on skipper Steve Smith and the Australian team where he accused of them being systematic cheats, but refused to apologise or provide any concrete evidence. (READ MORE)

Down under, ‘King’ Kohli is thunder: Why Aussies are going gaga over Virat

The Indian skipper’s exploits apart, the broadcasters may have little choice: With local stars Smith and Warner banned, they might grab so...