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As the biggest cricketing event of Bangladesh, BPL will bring all the glitz and glamour of T20, featuring some of the top names in cricket from around the globe with 21 days of non-stop world class cricket action and entertainment. As the definitive rights holder of the best in international sporting events, ESPN STAR Sports will showcase this exciting new T20 event to cricket lovers across Asia, along with Channel 9 which will broadcast the tournament domestically in Bangladesh.

With the match action kicking off on 10 February, this first edition of the Bangladesh Premier League will feature six teams that will play each other twice each in a round-robin format over 33 matches held in Chittagong and Dhaka. Each team will feature a stellar mix of a leading Icon player from Bangladesh along with current T20 stars and cricketing greats including:

Said Joyee Biswas, Director, Programming of ESPN STAR Sports, “We are delighted to support the expansion of T20 to Bangladesh by bringing this exciting new tournament to cricket fans in Asia.

“As the rights holder for some of the globe’s best cricket events including ICC World T20, CL T20, India-Australia test matches, ODI tri-series between Australia, India and Sri Lanka, and England-Australia ODIs, we are pleased to add Bangladesh Premier League to our portfolio of top cricket coverage.”

Said Enayetur Rahman, Managing Director of Channel 9, “As the first GEC channel of Bangladesh with a mix of Sports and Entertainment, and the producer of BPL T20, we are pleased to partner with ESPN STAR Sports to bring BPL to cricket lovers and look forward to a long term relationship.”

Running from 9-29 February the tournament will feature a mix of 1-2 matches per day. On days when two games are played, the first match will begin at 2pm local time followed by the second match at 6.30pm. In addition to the Icon player from Bangladesh, each team is allowed 9 foreign players, 5 of who can play per match per team. The opening ceremony of BPL will commence at 5pm local time on Thursday 9 February.

ESPN STAR Sports showcases an unparalleled variety of premier sports from around the globe featuring some of the most iconic sports events to viewers across 24 countries in Asia. ESPN STAR Sports operates from its Singapore headquarters and has regional offices across six countries in Asia (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, Malaysia, South Korea). ESPN STAR Sports features a comprehensive portfolio of multimedia assets including its 25 television channels, 3 broadband networks, digital content services, and its on-ground Event Management group.

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Sahara India Pariwar, in the year 2003 with the intention of supporting the national sport came forward to support the team. Renewing its support Sahara India Pariwar, has assured their whole-hearted support for the development of the national game. This sponsorship is a part of Sahara’s program to promote sports at ground level. In addition to this, Sahara has adopted Indian Boxing, Wrestling, Archery, Shooting, Track & Field and Tennis covering support of a total of 95 sportsmen in these 6 games who are potential medal winners, until after London Olympics 2012 and is associated with other a sports at various levels.

Speaking on the occasion, ‘Saharasri’ Subrata Roy Sahara, Managing Worker & Chairman, Sahara India Pariwar, said, “It is our national game and we are proud to be associated with this game and are elated to continue our patronage and support for the game. We will achieve greater laurels and success in the sport of hockey in the coming years and Sahara India Pariwar is committed to the development of sport at all levels.”

Narendra Batra, General Secretary, Hockey India, said, “I take this opportunity to thank Sahara India Pariwar, specially ‘Saharasri’ Mr. Subrata Roy Sahara who is the greatest patron of sports, for coming forward and supporting the sport of Hockey. I am sure this association would encourage all the players to perform even better in the forthcoming International tournaments.

Sahara India Pariwar has been the official sponsor of the Indian Hockey Team (Senior and Junior Hockey Teams) since 2003. This support was extended to the Indian Hockey Team when the national game was in distress and facing apathy. Apart from being sponsor to the Indian Hockey Team, Sahara India Pariwar played host to Indian hockey team in Lucknow for their coaching camp for Champion’s Trophy – 2003. The organization arranged for the boarding, lodging, practice camps and traveling of the entire Indian Hockey Team. As a part of the Hockey World Cup preparation Sahara organised a physical conditioning team for the whole contingent in Germany.

Sahara India Pariwar also joined hands with Federation Internationale De Hockey (FIH) in 2004, the World’s apex Body for Hockey, and became the 4th Global Partner of the Federation for a period of 3 years. Sahara India Pariwar also felicitated the entire Indian Hockey Team, including both the players and the officials, on winning the Asia Cup – 2003 for the first time. Each member was awarded with a cash reward of Rs. 1, 51,000 in a glittering ceremony.

Sahara also rewarded all the players, coach and assistant coach of the Indian Hockey team with Rs. 2 lakhs each as a token of appreciation after India routed Pakistan in their World Cup match in 2010 and has provided for their insurance individually. In the genuine interest of National Hockey Players, Sahara India Pariwar paid Rs. 1 crore to Hockey India, for distribution to the players so that they can practice and play peacefully and happily for the Country in 2010 when the players were seriously concerned at their emoluments at a Camp hosted in Pune prior to the World Cup.

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We also hear from sources that Vodafone the leading on-air sponsor is planning to re-negotiate their deal with the broadcaster. When Adgully contacted Vodafone, the telecom giant refused to comment on the matter. Even our email quarry sent to MSM did not elicit any response.

IPL 2012 is already creating lots of ripples and with all these not-so-good stories, the moot question we are forced to ask in this grim situation is, has Brand IPL taken a beating? Adgully seeks opinions from distinguished experts:

Ayaz Memon, senior journalist and cricket expert, said, “Every controversy will dent the brand but whether it is tenable or not that remains to be seen. The game has certain fundamental issues which is affecting the brand and that needs to be settled down. IPL has been a successful brand so far and so its value needs to be protected. Governance issues are becoming paramount which are upholding the reputation of the game. There have leagues around the world and they too have issues but when governance issues are involved that should be ironed out.”

Ayaz Memon

Memon further added, “The IPL has been enormous and going forward the governance issues should be ironed out.”

Sanjay Tripathy

He further added, “Any kind of controversy would mark the equity of the game. Also brand custodians of IPL have to see how they can take the stake holders in confidence. IPL has got a strong fan following and since one team is not there, there might be uncertainty and lack of confidence within the payers and hence there will be difficulty while drawing the attention of the fans.”

On asking about the future, he said, “there has to be transparency. The focus should be on long term brand building. It is truly an international property so we need to work on strengthening it rather playing with it.”

Anil Singh

Commenting about the future, Singh said, “They need to iron out their problems and issues but also should address other issues associated with it. Money needs to be allocated as it’s a winning property so going forward it should be nurtured.

Nobby Gupta

Unni Krishnan

“You can’t damage one of the best entities in the fields of sports. They need to fix it. Since it is drawing negative forces and all this will heal with time,” he added.

Harish Bijoor

With so much speculation doing the rounds, it’s a sticky wicket that BCCI has gotten itself into. There are reports that Sahara and BCCI might talk things over but given the sequence of events that have taken place over the years, it will be a tough match between BCCI and Sahara to keep the brand IPL alive. | By Aanchal Kohli [aanchal(at)adgully.com]

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The DLF IPL Player Auction 2012, commences at 10.45am on 4th February with MAX’s anchor Archana Vijaya and ace commentator Arun Lal bringing all the behind the scene excitement and then moves onto intense live coverage of the auction at Bangalore’s ITC Royal Gardenia Hotel at 11am. The anchors will engage the audiences before, after and during the auction to take them through the bidding procedure as well to analyze the day’s activity.

The auction will witness 147 players going under the hammer. The size of every DLF IPL team squad will be 33 instead of 30 players in the previous season. Team owners would each be given a purse of $2 million to buy these players. The auction will give a deeper insight and glimpse of the strategy each team is scheduled to follow.

Commenting on the DLF IPL Player Auction, Neeraj Vyas, EVP & Business Head, MAX, said “DLF IPL Player Auction 2012 will set the stage for what promises to be an absorbing fifth season of the DLF IPL which will set the nation roaring. Alternating between the studio and the auction venue, MAX will bring an up close and personal perspective of the event which will keep the audience enthralled.”

Get ready to support your favourite players and cheer for your favourite team this Saturday!

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Announcing this exciting initiative, Soren Lauridsen, Managing Director, Carlsberg India said, “True to our commitment of providing the best possible experience to Indian consumers, this association with UEFA EURO 2012™ represents another milestone to cement the relationship. We are extremely pleased and proud to be able to bring the Trophy to India for the first time and add to this nation’s growing enthusiasm for football. Over the next few months, we will be implementing some exciting campaigns which will create further excitement about football and EURO 2012, at the same time allowing consumers and fans to connect with the Carlsberg brand.”

Carlsberg India has kicked off a ‘Vote to get the Trophy to your city’ campaign, encouraging fans to vote for their city in order that it has a chance to qualify and host the Trophy. Three cities out of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Goa, Kochi and Pune will get a chance to host this coveted Trophy. Fans will battle it out by simply liking the page and voting for their cities. The cities with the maximum votes will host the Trophy. Each fan can track the status of their city through The ‘Glass-o-Meter’ tracker on the vote to get the Trophy to your city page.

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Castrol EDGE, Castrol’s strongest oil yet, will feature prominently on the new Castrol EDGE BMW M3 DTM livery as part of a team of six BMW M3 DTM cars set to compete in the championship.

Jens Marquardt, BMW Motorsport Director, said: “For many years we have put our faith in high-performance Castrol lubricants, and have celebrated countless successes together on the racetrack. For that reason, everyone here at BMW Motorsport is delighted that we are able to build on this established partnership in the DTM. Castrol EDGE is a high-performance brand, which suits our DTM project perfectly.”

Castrol and BMW have a long and successful history as partners in motorsport. As well as working together on the commercial brands within the BMW group, both have teamed up across a number of motorsport properties including F1, the World Touring Car Championship, 24hour racing, and motorcycle racing events.

Donald Smith, Castrol Sponsorship Manager, said: “The DTM is one of the most spectacular racing series in Europe and pushes the drivers, teams and cars to the very limit. It is because of these high-performance demands that we research and develop our products through the extremes of motorsport. Castrol EDGE will deliver maximum engine performance and will give the team the strength to perform at the highest level.”

“Together with our long-term partner, BMW Motorsport, we are looking forward to the challenges ahead and will do everything in our power to ensure that BMW is able to triumph in the DTM as they have done in the past.”

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Their great Indian adventure starts in Mumbai where they give the local dabbawallas a hand at delivering lunch boxes. Will Mumbai traffic get the best of them? The verdict lies in the hands of the dabbawallas. Next stop is Jaipur, where the boys host a rally to test the mettle of Indian vehicles against their British wares. From a tuk-tuk or auto-rickshaw, to a Nano, an elephant and even the local policemen, the Jaipur dash has a array of racers all set to win the inaugural Top Gear India Hill Speed Climb Event. In Delhi, the boys host a gala with the who’s-who of town in attendance. In typical Top Gear fashion, nothing goes as per plan! With their trade mission going downhill, the boys head uphill to the mountains of Shimla. Will the boys finally get lucky and accomplish what they’ve set out to do? A game of ‘Straight Six Cricket’, a reinvention of cricket by Jeremy, might do the trick!

The world’s biggest car show comes to India for the first time, and you can catch all the action first and exclusively on BBC Entertainment.

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In a speech to business leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos on 26 January, 2012, the Mayor described his ambition to create one of the world’s leading cycling events in the capital in August 2013. The Mayor highlighted figures which predict that the weekend festival could attract over 200,000 visitors from outside the capital to London for the weekend and generate tens of millions of pounds in economic benefit.

The first day of the festival will involve a family fun ride for up to 70,000 cyclists on an eight mile loop of closed roads around London’s iconic landmarks. The following day up to 35,000 amateur, club and world class elite cyclists will tackle a 100 mile course that will begin in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and be based on much of the route of the 2012 Games cycle road race, incorporating the scenic county of Surrey.

The Mayor’s team will now launch a tender process, through Transport for London and London & Partners, inviting potential bidders to become the commercial delivery partner for the event.

In his speech the Mayor also heralded the thousands of jobs that are a legacy of hosting the Olympic Games. By the time the athletes are in the starting blocks for London 2012 the Games will have helped to deliver, during one of the toughest economic climates of the last century, the rapidly accelerated regeneration of east London and 200,000 jobs; including work for 32,000 previously jobless Londoners, as well as 8,000 permanent jobs at Stratford Westfield and a massive £2 billion boost to the capital’s economy.

The Olympic Park Legacy Company has played a key role in plans for the festival of cycling and in the creation of new jobs. They confirmed that the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will open in phases from July 2013 to allow people back into the park as soon as possible after work is completed to return it to public use. The festival of cycling will be the first mass participation event to be held in the Park following its reopening to the public.

Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, said: “This spectacular event will help ensure that the 2012 Games are just the start, not the end of the benefits of hosting the Olympics. We are already creating long lasting opportunities for the Park and the capital, which will showcase London to the world, attract more visitors, create more jobs and support the economy.”

The international promotion associated with what will become an annual cycling festival will bring millions of pounds of economic benefit into London through national and international participation plus hundreds of thousands of spectators and worldwide TV audiences. It will provide a long term source of income for investment into improving conditions for cycling in London and provide opportunities to channel people to other cycling initiatives.

The Olympic Park Legacy Company will also organise a full weekend of wheel based activities on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to support the festival of cycling. They will aim to bring local communities together through events, competitions, workshops, music, food and film.

Margaret Ford, Chair of the Olympic Park Legacy Company, said: “The London Cycling Festival is just the kind of event that fits into the family ethos of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Thousands of people will get the chance to enjoy our most beautiful parkland in an event that will bring people together and encourage healthy living.

“Through our advanced planning work we are able to be in a position to schedule the phased opening of the Park within a year of the 2012 Games finishing. This is a huge achievement given the scale of construction work that is needed following the closing ceremony and another example of how legacy plans for the Park are more advanced than any previous host Olympic city.”

Beyond the 2012 Games hundreds of hectares of land, much of it contaminated and reclaimed as part of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will be transformed into the capital’s newest district with up to 11,000 new homes including East Village and over a million square metres of new and improved commercial floor space offering a multitude of investment opportunities. Thanks to the work of the Mayor and the Olympic Park Legacy Company London is on track to achieve what no previous host city has done by having long-term operators agreed for all the permanent venues before the Games have even begun.

The cycle festival will support the delivery of the Mayor’s cycle revolution in London. The Mayor has overseen a 15 per cent increase in cycling over the last year alone. Six thousand hire bikes are on the streets of central London, which are used for 500,000 journeys a day and a massive expansion of the scheme eastwards will be launched later this year.

Iain Edmondson, Head of Major Events at London & Partners and the Project Director for the festival of cycling added: “After months of planning and feasibility studies we are now ready to seek proposals from the world’s best event organisers to deliver this world class event. They will have the support and resources from partners across the city and Surrey to make this exciting vision a reality.”

Brian Cookson OBE, President of British Cycling, said: “British Cycling has been involved in this exciting project right from the beginning. It fits in really well with the range of our activities, from leisure cycling right through to elite level competition. The time is right for this event, with burgeoning ‘sportive’ participation levels demonstrating the mass appeal of our sport. This event will celebrate the new place of cycling in British culture, right in the heart of the capital.

Mark Cavendish MBE, current cycling World Champion, said: “This is the ideal legacy not only for our world class team of cyclists and paracyclists, but also for thousands of amateur cyclists who will hopefully be inspired by our performance at the Olympic Games. This event will be a fantastic opportunity to show Britain at its best and to share our Olympic cycling heritage.”

Denise Saliagopoulos, Surrey County Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Services and the 2012 Games said: “Surrey will be the cycling capital of the UK when we host the Olympic road races and cycling time trial. This event will help us build on the Olympic legacy. It’s going to be fantastic; it will allow cycling enthusiasts like Boris Johnson to follow in the tracks of Olympic greats. It will drive tourism, boost the Surrey economy and encourage residents to get on their bikes and lead healthier lifestyles.”

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Rehan, who trains and lives in Bangalore spoke about his association, achievements and preparations for Olympics 2012 and other national and international tournaments. Having unveiled the new Fitness and Lifestyle range at PUMA, Poncha said, “I am very excited about this new partnership with a brand like PUMA that embodies youth, fun and passion. This brand has a great attitude and has some very exciting plans ahead which make me feel privileged and excited to be an ambassador for many years to come. I look forward to this exciting partnership”.

Talking about the association, Rajiv Mehta, MD PUMA India commented, “We are delighted to welcome Rehan Poncha to the PUMA family. With his pace and skills, he has made an impressive start in his career that speaks volumes for his ability and determination to succeed. At PUMA we believe in our athletes looking good both on and off the field and it is here that we find an apt synergy for styling Rehan through our fitness and lifestyle range of products. We wish him the very best for his quest towards Olympics. ”

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The torch was unveiled by Shree Ajay Maken, Honorable Sports Minister of India, Mr. Sandeep Jajodia, Executive Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Monnet Ispat & Energy Ltd,Mr Shailendra Singh, Managing Director, Percept Ltd, Mr. Kapil Dev former Indian cricket team captain & Brig. P.K.M. Raja deputy chef-de-mission, Indian Olympics

The torch relay run will be flagged off on 10th February 2012 from Jammu & Srinagar and will travel 50 cities including Patiala/Chandigarh, Jaipur, Delhi NCR, Lucknow, Kolkata, Shillong, Indore, Ahmedabad, Pune, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kochi, Chennai, and Kanyakumari under the auspices of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI).

The run will be joined by local & prominent athletes in its impressive journey. The torch will return back to New Delhi on 30th May.. People from every local centre that the torch travels will be appealed through various multimedia campaigns to join the relay. Go for Gold merchandise will be distributed along the journey. The element of participation is the main purpose of this esteemed relay. Prominent celebrities will also join the relay at specific strategic points in this journey of the torch from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.

Monnet Ispat & Energy through this initiative will highlight the incredible potential Olympic sports holds for an emerging economic powerhouse like India. For the country that has the youngest population in the world and constantly aims to make a mark on the global map, what better platform than the Olympics to offer the youth an aspiration to be on the global sporting arena.

Sandeep Jajodia, over a discussion with Shailendra Singh, expressed his desire to support and promote Indian Olympic Sport. This subtle conversation over coffee was converted and created into a mammoth communication plan by Percept. “Go For Gold” will be rolled out in a phased manner where awareness will be created through a series of events.

Sandeep Jajodia, EVC & MD, Monnet Group said, “It definitely is a very novel way to get together the whole country for a social / noble cause. This will help as a major morale booster for our Olympian squad to give their very best in the forthcoming Olympics. Monnet as a corporate has always believed in supporting Indian sports in a very major way. Going forward we definitely would look forward to continue our alliance with various sports of our country in a very prominent way.

We understand there are several people across the country who want to show their support for athletes, but they do not know how to. This is an opportunity for them to come together and run for a cause. ‘Go for Gold’ campaign is spread across the country to create maximum support from every corner of the country. Our athletes have already put India on the World map, this is our way to show support and encourage them to attain further glory.”

Speaking on the initiative, Mr. Shailendra Singh, Managing Director, Percept Ltd we are extremely proud that Percept carried forward the thought and vision of Mr. Sandeep Jajodia of supporting Indian Sport and created this unique platform “Go for Gold” ; a movement of global magnitude. This truly is a great opportunity wherein the whole nation will be united through the power of sport

Ajay Maken, Honorary Sports Minister in support of the ‘Go for Gold’ campaign said, “It is a great initiative by a corporate like Monnet to come out in favor of the athletic contingent for the London Olympics and arrange for a nationwide campaign for them. It is a great motivation for our young athletes to know that the entire nation is backing them as they go in search of glory for the tricolor.”

Monnet Ispat & Energy Limited has associated itself with the Indian Boxing Federation (IBF) by becoming the official team and kit sponsors of the Indian Boxing Team for a period of 3 years starting from 2010.The support extended has been collectively acknowledged by the Federation and boxers alike as a silent driving force behind the stellar performances of the boxers. Infact, these achievements have prompted the IBF in further extending the commercial partnership with Monnet Group till 2017 so as to ensure a solid platform for the future of the sport in the country.