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Viacom18 announce an incredible experts line-up for the 2024 WPL
Mumbai: Viacom18 announced their expert panel for the 2024 WPL, starting 23 February. Anjum Chopra, Reema Malhotra, Sushma Verma, Mona Meshram, Nuzhat Parveen, Karuna Jain, Aakash Chopra, Parthiv Patel, Saba Karim, Srikkanth Anirudha, Sarandeep Singh, Nikhil Chopra, and Abhinav Mukund will come together for a five-language presentation on JioCinema for free.
The season-opener on 23 February will see Delhi Capitals taking on defending champions Mumbai Indians, which will be presented in English, Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, and Telugu on JioCinema. On TV, viewers can catch the action live in English, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada on Sports18 – 1 SD & HD. Sports18 – 2 SD and Sports18 Khel will broadcast the Hindi feed.
“We look to build on the blockbuster Season 1, as we continue to offer viewers an immersive experience which is accessible, affordable, and in multiple languages to scale up the league’s impact and reach further,” said Viacom18 Sports head of content Siddharth Sharma. “After delivering the highest viewership for any women’s event globally last season on JioCinema, we aim to create new benchmarks and celebrate the incredible cricketers who bring the excitement and pizzazz to the league where a boundary was scored every fifth ball in the last season.”
In the build-up to the 2024 season, the network has offered fans and viewers light-hearted content on WPL Huddle that features top players like Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma among others. WPL Heroes will take fans through compelling background stories of players with insights from their families and coaches from all franchisees. Fans will also be treated with a peek into the training sessions of all the teams, along with expert reviews leading up to the start of the inaugural season.
Through their exclusive partnerships with Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Delhi Capitals, JioCinema users will have access to a wide variety of exciting content, including exclusive interviews with the marquee players from the franchisees.
Viacom18 will offer studio shows with expert analysis and player interviews to fans throughout the season. The anchor-led daily show will see Sanjana Ganesan, Ridhima Pathak, Supriya Singh, and Preeti Dahiya at the helm.
The full expert panel:
Hindi: Anjum Chopra, Reema Malhotra, Sushma Verma, Mona Meshram, Nuzhat Parveen, Parthiv Patel, Aakash Chopra, Saba Karim, Sarandeep Singh, Sunil Taneja, Nikhil Chopra, Prasanna S
Tamil: Bagawati Prasad, Sudhir Srinivasan, Aarti Sankaran, Niranjana Nagrajan, Shailaja Sundar, Abhinav Mukund, KB Arun Karthick, Srikkanth Anirudha
Kannada: Raghvendra Raj, Sujay Shastri, Karuna Jain, Vanitha VR, Sahana Pawar, Bharat Chippli, Srinivas Murthy
Telugu: Sravanti Naidu, Sunitha Anand, Akshath Reddy, Ashish Reddy, Sandeep Bavanaka
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.
