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NEW DELHI: The Investors In Cricket (IIC) is going into the
next stage of its evolution, with its show, Cricket Star,
which made its debut in India in December last year, all set
to be implemented in the UK, followed by the next series in
India and move to Pakistan.
The reality show on the sport is poised to send one Delhi
player to Leicestershire County Club on a contract, but who?
That will be decided by SMS vote on April 1, when voting closes
at midnight.
Delhi's Amiteshwar Singh and Piyush Negi, Mumbai's Dinesh Salunkhe,
Kadir Patel, Karan Joshi and Rahil Sheikh, Lucknow's Mohammad
Abbas, Praveeth Kumar from Hyderabad, Chandigarh's Samandeep
Singh and Sukhvir Singh and Chennai's S Prabhu, wouldn't have
to go through to reach the fabled county club what Rahil Dravid
had to, a press statement from the company says.
The 'chosen one' from this lot will be handed a contract
with Leicestershire County Cricket Club, one of the oldest
teams on the English County circuit. The lucky one would get
to train and coach and parade his wares with the three-time
champions.
The Cricket Star had been mooted by IIC, an innovative company,
which specialises in the creation and management of sports
rights that have relevance to the Asian Subcontinent. "Cricket
Star", an interactive cricket talent hunt came on air
(Zee TV, Zee Sports, DD National) last December.
Like most reality shows, this show too follows the familiar
format of elimination, based on votes polled in, says Dalip
Pande, Head-Communications, IIC.
"The objective behind the show was to create a platform
that provides an opportunity for untapped talent to be showcased
on national television," Pande says.
"This is not a show about rich kids who can afford to
spend daddy's big bucks in enrolling at big cricket clubs,"
he stressed and adds, "It is about scouting for real
talent that lay unseen unheard in the interiors of India,
the India which we rarely bother about, a case in point being
Munaf Patel, who rose to superstardom from a tiny village
called Ithar."
The IIC had taken on board Kapil Dev and Sanjay Manjerakar
as the selectors and Robin Singh as the Director of the Academy
and conceptualised by former Middlesex player Simon Hughes,
the show got rolling with 25,000 entrants from different parts
of the country.
Twenty three made it to the Cricket Star Academy, which through
the process of voting out by their team mates have been pruned
down to 11.
These 11 played matches against the Reebok XI, Invitation
Under 19 XI, Leicestershire County Cricket Club, who made
the trip to India especially to play against the Cricket Star
XI Air India XI at the MIG Club.
The players were put in the bottom four by the selectors
based on their performance in the matches.
"After the gruelling survival struggle, these 11 players
face the moment of truth, come Sunday when the voting closes
at 12 midnight and their destiny is sealed. For, next Tuesday,
it would be known who would make the long trip to the UK,"
Pande says.
Viewers can SMS by typing CSTAR [Name of player] to 7575
or 6365. GSM users. You can also dial 190 2424 2727 [code
of player, for example 01, 02] from your BSNL, MTNL fixed
landline phone, the press statement explained.
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