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JioCinema unveils Stellar additions in their galaxy of superstars for the 2024 TATA IPL
Mumbai: JioCinema unveiled new additions to their galaxy of superstars on their expert panel for the 2024 TATA Indian Premier League. India’s favourite sporting carnival will be brought to fans and viewers on JioCinema for free in 12 languages, English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bhojpuri, Punjabi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada, with Haryanvi making its debut.
In a never-seen-before avatar, one of the world’s most destructive openers, Virender Sehwag will headline the newly introduced Haryanvi language presentation on JioCinema. Ajay Jadeja will make his debut as a Gujarati language expert. The former India captain and MI Emirates batting coach will also feature in Hindi and Hangout feeds.
The addition of IPL champion Shane Watson and former New Zealand coach and director of cricket at Royal Challengers Bangalore Mike Hesson, Sehwag, and Jadeja will further deepen JioCinema’s key proposition of providing fans inside access from key members who until recently shared the dressing room with top franchisees.
After playing for Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab, Sehwag took on a mentor’s role with the Punjab franchise. Fans will witness him at his witty best, this time in the Haryanvi language. Manvinder Bisla, man of the match of the 2012 IPL Final, will also join Sehwag in the Haryanvi feed.
After winning titles with Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings, Watson continues his illustrious journey in the TATA IPL with JioCinema. He won the Player of the Tournament in the inaugural season with the Royals while his match-winning 117 for CSK in 2018 Final against Sunrisers Hyderabad has gone down as one of the best knocks ever in the IPL.
Mike Hesson, one of the sharpest minds in cricket, will extend his journey with the TATA IPL as an expert with JioCinema. After having coached Kings XI Punjab, and worked as a director of cricket operations with the Royal Challengers Bangalore, the Kiwi pro will sit alongside some of the most iconic players he coached in the IPL including Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers.
“The response we got for our deep and wide presentation of the TATA IPL 2023 from our viewers, advertisers, and cricket fanatics was heartening and we are doubling down on our innovations and initiatives for TATA IPL 2024,” said Viacom18 Sports head of content Siddharth Sharma. “This season we continue to elevate the experience with bigger names, deeper engagement with core, casual and curious fans through unique propositions like Hero Cam, Viral Weekends and the introduction of Haryanvi feed headlined by the iconic Virender Sehwag.”
Taking advantage of the flexibility and the choices digital gives, JioCinema will offer a total of 18 feeds this year, including last year’s popular Insiders and Hangout feeds, newly introduced Hero Cam feed and a new proposition called Viral Weekend. Through the 2024 season, JioCinema will bring over 100 popular social content creators across every language, every weekend, to spawn conversations, anecdotes, and banter on the biggest sports proposition in the country in their inimitable style along with the star experts.
Hero Cam, JioCinema’s latest camera angle addition this season, allows a viewer to not only all the live action but also the biggest hero within the game as the match unfolds. This allows viewers an up, close, personal, and uninterrupted view of how their heroes go about the game and gives a sense of feeling closer to them right in between the match. This will be accompanied by more camera angles that viewers can choose from.
The Insiders feed is built on JioCinema’s core proposition of making the TATA IPL’s entertainment more accessible to viewers by giving them a peek into unheard tales, anecdotes, and conversations from dressing rooms, narrated by JioCinema’s iconic empanelled experts who until recently rubbed shoulders with current players across different teams. Fans will be able to get into the player’s mind from the expert’s viewpoint and understand the thought process behind the gameplay as live-action plays out on screen.
The Hangout feed will give fans a light-hearted and quirky take on the perennially competitive league through new-age content creators and popular stand-up comics like Angad Singh, Vipul Goyal, Aaditya Kulshreshth, and Shashi Dhiman among others. This feed will present quintessential TATA IPL action that is expected to draw first-time viewers and non-sports audiences and augment the league’s viewership.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
