Wow!....I need a day to recover and then probably will write about it.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Friday, April 11, 2008
Royal Challengers to get the Washington Redskins Cheerleading expertise
Dr. Vijay Mallya has gone that extra mile in his pompous display in whatever he does and selecting the Cheerleaders for the IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore he has done it again by recruiting the cheerleaders of the US based NFL team Washinton Redskins. Read-on the complete news release.
Cheerleaders Head to India to Create Squad
April 9, 2008
The best in the world of professional cheerleading will be creating a new era in a new world.
The Redskins Cheerleaders will travel to India on April 10 to create the first-ever cheerleading squad in that country for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, part of the new Indian Premier League (IPL). The inaugural game is April 18.
The Redskin Cheerleaders will stay to conduct a national audition of Indian women. The squad's choreographers will remain with the Royal Challengers until the end of the season in mid-June and conduct clinics throughout India.
The Royal Challengers cricket franchise is owned by Dr. Vijay Mallya, through his company Royal Challengers sports private limited--a 100 percent subsidiary of United Spirits Limited.
Cheerleaders in cricket is a new concept in India, although teams from South Africa and Australia have had cricket cheerleaders.
Twelve cheerleaders and two choreographers will spend 18 days touring the country and performing at major events, and to cheer at the first four games on the Royal Challengers.
President Venkat Vardhan of DNA Networks, the largest event and entertainment promoter in India and the producers of the IPL pregame and in-game entertainment, introduced cheerleading to the IPL.
Vardhan contacted his long-time partner George Veras, President of Veras Communications and former Vice President of Broadcasting and Productions for the Cleveland Browns, to get the ball rolling.
VCI has had a relationship with DNA Networks since 1997, when VCI produced the worldwide TV special, "Yanni Live at the Taj Mahal."
"Cheerleading is a unique American spirit and the fact that it now is a bridge into India and their national sport cricket, speaks to the world vision of the Washington Redskins and DNA Networks," Veras said.
Veras called his former NFL colleague Larry Michael, the voice of the Redskins, to inquire about the Redskins interest in the unique project.
Of course, the Redskins Cheerleaders welcomed the challenge.
Melanie Treanor, Director of Marketing for the cheerleaders, has been helping prepare the cricket team to market the auditions in India and making travel arrangements for the Redskins Cheerleaders.
Traveling with the cheerleaders to India will be Entertainment and Cheerleading Director Donald Wells.
Just two days after their arrival in Bangalore on April 13, the Redskins Cheerleaders will hold the first-ever professional cheerleader auditions in India.
"I have been working for weeks creating the new uniforms and working on the smaller details that it takes to create a squad from scratch," Wells said.
Two weeks after India's first-ever cheerleading team is announced, the group will be on the field dancing side by side with the Redskins Cheerleaders.
The cheerleaders have taken their style of dance and had Indian dancers come in to teach Bollywood Hip Hop for a dance routine.
"This fusion of dance backgrounds has created a new amazing style," Wells said. "I am really looking forward to the reaction of India towards the Redskins Cheerleaders. I've known what we are doing is cutting edge and it's great to see that we are going to start this squad off on the right foot."
The Redskins Cheerleaders will return from India at the end of April, but Donald and two-year veteran Sharica will stay behind for three more weeks to work with the Royal Challenger Cheerleaders through the paces and teach them the sport or American cheerleading.
"I am so honored to be able to help create history," Sharica said.
On May 14, Wells will hand over the new squad to Stephanie Jojokian, Director and Choreographer of the Redskins Cheerleaders.
Jojokian will spend 10 days working with the Bangalore Cheerleaders.
"I am looking forward to coaching the India team and watching them unite as team, improve as individuals and feel the same type of pride and dedication our cheerleaders feel by working hard and accomplishing goals," Jojokian said.
By the time the initiative is complete, the Redskins Cheerleaders will have spent more than 10 weeks creating a new cheerleading world in India.
Dont forget to check out who will be rocking us at Bang-a-lore
Royal Challengers IPL 2008 Fixtures
Read as Date, Match Start Time(Local & GMT), Match Number, Team vs Team and Venue
April, Fri 18
20:00 local, 14:30 GMT 1st match - Bangalore Royal Challengers v Kolkata Knight Riders M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
April, Sun 20 20:00 local, 14:30 GMT 5th match - Mumbai Indians v Bangalore Royal Challengers Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
April, Sat 26 20:00 local, 14:30 GMT 12th match - Bangalore Royal Challengers v Rajasthan Royals M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
April, Mon 28 20:00 local, 14:30 GMT 15th match - Bangalore Royal Challengers v Chennai Super Kings M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
April, Wed 30 20:00 local, 14:30 GMT 17th match - Delhi Daredevils v Bangalore Royal Challengers Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
May, Sat 3 16:00 local, 10:30 GMT 21st match - Bangalore Royal Challengers v Deccan Chargers M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
May, Mon 5 20:00 local, 14:30 GMT 25th match - Bangalore Royal Challengers v Kings XI Punjab M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
May, Thu 8 20:00 local, 14:30 GMT 29th match - Kolkata Knight Riders v Bangalore Royal Challengers Eden Gardens, Kolkata
May, Mon 12 20:00 local, 14:30 GMT 34th match - Kings XI Punjab v Bangalore Royal Challengers Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh
May, Sat 17 16:00 local, 10:30 GMT 39th match - Rajasthan Royals v Bangalore Royal Challengers Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
May, Mon 19 20:00 local, 14:30 GMT 43rd match - Bangalore Royal Challengers v Delhi Daredevils M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
May, Wed 21 20:00 local, 14:30 GMT 46th match - Chennai Super Kings v Bangalore Royal Challengers MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
May, Sun 25 16:00 local, 10:30 GMT 52nd match - Deccan Chargers v Bangalore Royal Challengers Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad
May, Wed 28 16:00 local, 10:30 GMT 55th match - Bangalore Royal Challengers v Mumbai Indians M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Un-Offcial Challengers Theme Song - Thaakatha Song
'We have the thaakathu, victory is namma hakku’ sings Rajesh Adiga, Alok and others from the young band members of Urban lads to the music of Sameer Kulkarni for the Theme Song created by the RC Fan club started by Idea Naren. Check out the coverage on TV9 in this YouTube Video.
You can download the song from the RC fan Club website http://www.royal-challengers.com/index.php.
Indian Premier League 2008 Fixtures
April 18: Bangalore v Kolkata at Bangalore
April 19: Mohali v Chennai at Mohali and Delhi v Jaipur at Delhi
April 20: Mumbai v Bangalore at Mumbai; Kolkata v Hyderabad at Kolkata
April 21: Jaipur v Mohali at Jaipur
April 22: Hyderabad v Delhi at Hyderabad
April 23: Chennai v Mumbai at Chennai
April 24: Hyderabad v Jaipur at Hyderabad
April 25: Mohali v Mumbai at Mohali
April 26: Bangalore v Jaipur at Bangalore; Chennai v Kolkata at Chennai
April 27: Mumbai v Hyderabad at Mumbai; Mohali v Delhi at Mohali
April 28: Bangalore v Chennai at Bangalore
April 29: Kolkata v Mumbai at Kolkata
April 30: Delhi v Bangalore at Delhi.
May 1: Hyderabad v Mohali at Hyderabad; Jaipur v Kolkata at Jaipur
May 2: Chennai v Delhi at Chennai.
May 3: Hyderabad vs Bangalore at Hyderabad; Mohali v Kolkata at Mohali
May 4: Mumbai v Delhi at Mumbai; Jaipur v Chennai at Jaipur
May 5: Bangalore v Mohali at Bangalore
May 6: Chennai v Hyderabad at Chennai
May 7: Mumbai v Jaipur at Mumbai
May 8: Delhi v Chennai at Delhi; Kolkata v Bangalore at Kolkata
May 9: Jaipur v Hyderabad at Jaipur
May 10: Bangalore v Mumbai at Bangalore ; Chennai v Mohali at Chennai
May 11: Hyderabad v Kolkata at Hyderabad; Jaipur v Delhi at Jaipur
May 12: Mohali v Bangalore at Mohali
May 13: Kolkata v Delhi at Kolkata
May 14: Mumbai v Chennai at Mumbai; Mohali v Jaipur at Mohali
May 15: Delhi v Hyderabad at Delhi
May 16: Mumbai v Kolkata at Mumbai
May 17: Delhi v Mohali at Delhi ; Jaipur v Bangalore at Jaipur
May 18: Hyderabad v Mumbai at Hyderabad; Kolkata v Chenna at Kolkata
May 19: Bangalore v Delhi at Bangalore
May 20: Kolkata v Jaipur at Kolkata
May 21: Mumbai v Mohali at Mumbai; Chennai v Bangalore at Chennai
May 22: Delhi v Kolkata at Delhi
May 23: Mohali v Hyderabad at Mohali.
May 24: Delhi v Mumbai at Delhi; Chennai v Jaipur at Chennai
May 25: Bangalore v Hyderabad at Bangalore ; Kolkata v Mohali at Kolkata
May 26: Jaipur v Mumbai at Jaipur
May 27: Hyderabad v Chennai at Hyderabad
May 28: Rest days
May 29: Rest days
May 30: First semi-final at Mumbai
May 31: Second semi-final at Mumbai
June 1: Final at Mumbai
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Martin Crowe Speaks to Cricinfo
'You need to treat this as a scientific project'
Sriram Veera
March 12, 2008
Former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe has a new role. He's now the Chief Cricket Officer of the Bangalore Royal Challengers and will work with modern legends like Jacques Kallis, Rahul Dravid and Mark Boucher. He speaks to Cricinfo about his team's plans and its core values.
The Bangalore team is perceived to be full of people who are more conducive to Test cricket than Twenty20. What's your take?
There is a propensity for the perception that we are here to play five-day cricket! To me, they are very classy, stylish, intelligent cricketers. There are no egos, no controversies surrounding them. They are going to be very solid citizens and it's the kind of players we want our group to be represented by.
This is the Twenty20 royal team of the championship. We are going to behave like that, play like that and that describes the bunch we have.
So has the way you play influenced the branding or has the branding influenced your planned style of play
It starts with the name: Royal Challengers. It's a very regal term and I am sure it was by design the kind of people we chose for the team. Rahul had the vision, he wanted this sort of player and that's why he asked me to come in with this kind of role.
You won't see us play wham-bam cricket, you will see an intelligent and well-organised kind of cricket.
My role will be to help the youngsters think out of the square and fit in with the vision. It's a branding exercise, it's a marketing exercise and people have to come in to watch not a region but a city franchise. I will be the intermediary between sponsors, team and the fans.
What exactly is your job description?
I am the chief cricket officer which means I am sort of overseeing the way the team is operating in terms of its thinking, how it can win the tournament and how can it connect with its fan. So it will involve marketing and branding as well. I will work closely with Rahul Dravid in putting strategies in place. It's a group of varied people coming together for the first time and trying to play consistent cricket to win 14 games and qualify for the play-offs.
You said your job will involve marketing. Can you elaborate?
This is a new exciting concept with a city franchise and not only we want to connect this group of players with the local fans but we want the Royal Challengers to be known all throughout India as a side that is intelligent, classy, stylish and calculated. That will be our brand core. I will be the intermediary between the franchise as a whole, the team and the message from the team to the fans as to how we want them to embrace us.
What can a coach do in a Twenty20 format and over a 44-day period?
I am not big on coaches. That's why I am not the cricket coach here. I am a big believer in the captain. This will be Rahul's team. Venkatesh Prasad will look after the nets and physical [aspects], while I can help the batsmen, it's going to be a strategic role for me. Prasad has proved himself as a team coach and I will let him handle that side of the things.
I got a real passion for Twenty20 having done Cricket Max in New Zealand and I have some ideas of how this game can be played. You need to treat this as a scientific project. It's not like a Test match, it's not about durability and concentration over long periods. It's about having lots of small goals and getting everyone strategically positioned. Our aim will be to get more wickets than the opposition. That would mean swinging the ball, great fielding.
What is going to be your cricketing strategy?
To put simply, it would be to take more wickets than the opposition. Build partnerships, throw in some great fielding, our general attitude and win by our all round skills. In a nutshell, with a scientific approach. The first six overs, with the field up, is when you really get your runs, the next eight overs are the middle overs while the last six will be the death overs.
What is the future of Twenty20 and will its success mean the death of 50-over cricket?
The game is here to stay; it is the future. What we are seeing a correction in 50-overs cricket. We had a over-saturation of that form, lots of meaningless cricket was being played. This Twenty20 would offset that.
I see 50-overs cricket being played over four innings. Four Twenty20 innings and I see this happening in ten years time. One-day cricket would become a mini Test match. There fore Twenty20 becomes the precursor to that eventuality. As of now we have Twenty20 and Test cricket while the one-day game is going through an identity crisis.
Sriram Veera is a staff writer at Cricinfo
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
