Sports
Neo Cricket to air domestic Challengers Series from 8 Oct
MUMBAI: Neo Cricket will air the domestic one-day tournament, NKP Salve Challengers Series 2009, from 8- 11 October.
This is a short tournament of four one day matches featuring current and upcoming Indian cricketers. The series is played to showcase talent that the country has and provide opportunities to younger players to make an impression.
The cricketing talents will play against each other at Nagpur this year for the Challenger Series. While Yuvraj Singh will captain the India Red team, Suresh Raina will lead the India Green team and India Blue team will be lead by Mahendra Singh Dhoni whose team also includes Sachin Tendulkar.
Neo Sports Broadcast head programming Mautik Tolia said, “Since this series will be soon followed by the India-Australia ODIs, it will provide the best possible match practice for the Indian players just ahead of the vital series.”
From 25 October, Neo Cricket will air Australia’s tour of India ODI matches. Earlier this month, the channel had aired the Irani Trophy.
Sports
After Virat Kohli’s exit, One8 Commune Bengaluru shuts down
Outlet near Chinnaswamy closes amid rent row, compliance issues mount
BENGALURU: The One8 Commune outlet near M. Chinnaswamy Stadium has shut down following a court order, bringing a turbulent chapter for the high-profile dining destination to a close.
The immediate trigger was a legal dispute over unpaid dues. The outlet, operated by Trio Hills Hospitality, had reportedly defaulted on rent payments for nearly six months. Including maintenance charges and revenue share commitments, the outstanding amount is said to have crossed Rs 2 crore. A Bengaluru civil court subsequently directed the closure of the premises until all financial obligations are cleared.
The shutdown comes months after Virat Kohli, whose brand name lent the outlet its identity, had already distanced himself from the Bengaluru franchise. According to reports, concerns around repeated compliance-related issues prompted his team to withdraw the association. The removal of the One8 branding is believed to have impacted footfall, further straining the business.
The outlet had also faced regulatory scrutiny over the years. In 2024, authorities booked the establishment for operating beyond the 1:00 am curfew. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike had issued notices over missing fire safety clearances, while an FIR was filed for violating tobacco regulations by not providing a designated smoking zone under applicable laws.
In response to the closure, the brand maintained that the issue stemmed from building-level compliance responsibilities linked to the property owner rather than operational lapses on its part. It also denied that financial default was the primary reason, reiterating that customer safety remained a priority.
For now, the shutters remain down. While a reopening is theoretically possible if disputes are resolved, the absence of Kohli’s brand association makes a return under the One8 banner increasingly unlikely.
