The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : ICL promises exciting fare

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Sunday, Sep 14, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

ICL promises exciting fare

V.V. Subrahmanyam

Promotional campaign to throw up domestic players

Indian Cricket League earmarks Rs. 50 crore for marketing
Two-phased campaign will roll out towards
mid-September

HYDERABAD: There will be a clear shift in promoting the Indian Cricket League – a parallel set up to the BCCI promoted by Essel Group – this time around. The focus will be more on domestic players in it’s promotional campaigns with an earmarked budget of Rs. 50 crore only for marketing alone. This, they say, is in keeping with the ICL philosophy of taking care of domestic cricket.

The ICL has not yet come up with any new foreign recruits this year. Most of the familiar names from abroad who figured in the previous editions will be there. “It is not that any new foreign players signing up ICL is ruled out. But as things stand, we decided to highlight how the domestic players were benefited, thanks to the innovative concept,” says a senior official of ICL. The ICL has acquired a new stadium in Ahmedabad and is spending Rs 10 crore to bring it to world class standards. This is in addition to the Rs. 30 crore spent on infrastructure in the four venues across the country.

Actors pick up stakes

With two film stars Mithun Chakraborty (Hindi) and Vishnu Manchu (Telugu) picking up stakes in the Royal Bengal Tigers and Hyderabad Heroes respectively, the ICL organisers only hope for more from the film industry to line up to give the whole concept a glamorous touch.

“It is a two-phased campaign that will roll out towards the middle of the month and will continue till the end of the tournament - from September to November,” says a senior official of ICL about the promotion campaigns with spotlight on players showcasing their grit and determination.

Some of these cricketers with little star value like Ibrahim Khaleel, Hyderabad’s very own hero in its victorious campaign last summer here, will be profiled on TV.

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