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Abhishek Bachchan joins the Pro Kabaddi revolution!
Bollywood Superstar Abhishek Bachchan today became the latest high profile personality to join and support the boldest revolution in Indian Sport – the Pro Kabaddi league. At a press conference in Mumbai today, Mr. Bachchan
announced that he will be promoting the Jaipur franchise of the league.
Mr. Bachchan joins several other luminaries who have pledged their support for India’s most exciting team game. Mr. Ronnie Screwvala (Unilazer Group) and Mr. Kishore Biyani (Future Group) have already signed on as franchise owners. The Pro Kabaddi league is promoted by eminent industrialist Mr. Anand Mahindra and well known sports commentator Mr. Charu Sharma.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Bachchan said – "I am very happy and excited to be a part of what I consider to be “The Kabaddi revolution" in India. Having been a sportsman and being a sports enthusiast it's very exciting to be able to be part of this endeavour. The sport of Kabaddi is already immensely popular, through the league I hope we can take this great sport to a whole new horizon."
Charu Sharma - Managing Director of Mashal Sports said, “Kabaddi fans in Jaipur and all of Rajasthan are in for a treat! This is their chance to stand side by side with Abhishek Bachchan and give a new meaning to fan following. Abhishek brings to Pro Kabaddi not just his stardom and commitment, but, as important, his pedigree, dignity, respect and charm. A superhit awaits!”
Anand Mahindra - Co-Promotor of Mashal Sports, conveyed his message through an audio visual, saying, “In India there has traditionally been a strong association between the world of sport and cinema. They both offer an amalgamation of action, drama, agony and ecstasy and create larger than life heroes and icons who are powerful, visible brand ambassadors.
Keeping this in mind, I am delighted to have Mr. Abhishek Bachchan join us as the owner of Pro Kabaddi's Jaipur franchise. His ownership showcases huge commitment to the sport and to the Pro Kabaddi movement from the first family of Indian cinema. I am sure it will go a long way in rekindling popular interest and excitement in this quintessentially Indian sport and give it the pride of place that it truly deserves."
Piyush Pandey - Executive Chairman & Creative Director-South Asia, Ogilvy & Mather said, “My roots are from Rajasthan and the Bachchan family have been close friends for many years; so Abhishek at the helm of the Jaipur franchise is a terrific combination and I hope this team delivers a blockbuster performance to take home the silverware.”
The Pro Kabaddi league has been organized in association with International Kabaddi Federation, Asian Kabaddi Federation and Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India. Star Sports will be the official broadcast partner for the Pro Kabaddi league. Matches will be held on a 'home & away' format with daily, LIVE, prime-time coverage. World Sport Group (WSG) Asia’s largest sports marketing, media and event management company, are the official commercial and event partners of the Pro Kabaddi league.
All Pro Kabaddi league matches will be played on a specially developed mat in state of the art indoor stadiums across eight cities. Top Kabaddi players from across India and the globe will participate in a show of intense competition and sporting camaraderie.
The matches will be preceded by a player auction, where each of the teams will get equal opportunity to build their squads. Almost 100 players will be auctioned, out of which 72 players will be Indian and the rest will be international players from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Canada, England, Indonesia, Italy, Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkmenistan, United States of America, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.
Matches will be played as per the current international rules and regulations of the IKF. The Federation is also seriously considering making some small but significant changes to the game, to enhance its appeal on television.
Pro Kabaddi, will have robust marketing strategies. Each franchisee will not only have their team colours and star players but also create their own fan following with innovative media outreach strategies. Sports enthusiasts, in India and across the world, can keep track of the matches, scores, and players as well as participate in the game thorugh social media platforms such as the Pro Kabaddi league website www.prokabaddi.com, twitter handle @ProKabaddi and Facebook page Prokabaddi.
About Mashal Sports: A first significant initiative of Mashal Sports, driven by Anand Mahindra (Mahindra & Mahindra), Piyush Pandey (Ogilvy & Mather), Rajiv Luthra (Luthra & Luthra Law Offices) and Charu Sharma (Managing Director), is a revolutionary Pro Kabaddi league with franchises across eight Indian cities to be launched later this year. Key partners include STAR Sports (Broadcaster), Ogilvy & Mather, World Sport Group, and the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF), Asian Kabaddi Federation (AKF) & Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI).
About Pro Kabaddi : Pro Kabaddi, a significant initiative of Mashal Sports, takes our truly indigenous sport of Kabaddi to levels of new professionalism, which will benefit all stakeholders involved in the ecosystem of the game, Kabaddi, most of all, the players themselves, who will become the new role models for the youth of India. This bold step will highlight the new, modern, international and competitive face of Kabaddi throughout the length and breadth of the country, and beyond.
Pro Kabaddi proposes an eight-city league with games to be played on a home & away basis with each team playing each other twice in July and August, 2014. In a significant value addition to Kabaddi, these games will be carried LIVE on prime-time television by the international broadcaster, Star Sports for millions to view across India and the world.
This unique effort has the formal backing by the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF), the Asian Kabaddi Federation (AKF) & the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI), who will be closely associated with the organization and delivery of this event.
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