New Delhi: That cricket will get a grand share of Bollywood was apparent when superstar Shah Rukh Khan bought the Kolkata franchise of the Indian Premier League.But other franchises had made their intentions evident by not falling behind, as Bollywood heartthrob Akshay Kumar has been signed on by the Delhi Daredevils as its brand ambassador.
The announcement was made at a ceremony in the Capital on Monday, which also featured the likes of captain and ‘Icon player’ Virender Sehwag, local lad Gautam Gambhir, Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik as well as Mohammad Asif; one of the premier fast bowlers in the world.But the centre of attention of course was Akshay, who played down all talk of a rivalry with the other big IPL face from Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan.
“Although I work in films, I am an ardent follower of sports, especially cricket. I am from Delhi, so you should be proud and keep movies and songs aside. Let’s get together for the game,” the star famous for his action stunts, said.
Sehwag, too, was confident that his team will put in a strong show in the tournament, and entertain while they are at it.”My personal target will be to perform consistently in the Twenty20 games and I hope to do well for my team. I have to lead from the front,” Sehwag, who hammered 319 in the recently concluded first Test against South Africa in Chennai, said.
“Bollywood has its own space, and so does cricket. But Twenty20 is a package made to entertain. Bollywood is the greatest entertainer for the Indian public. So marrying Bollywood with cricket promises more entertainment.The public wants full worth of his money spent for the game, and if a fan gets to watch his favourite movie star along with some great cricket, nothing like it,” the flamboyant batsman added.
The cash-rich IPL has attracted many celebrities from the tinsel town and Akshay is the latest to join the list after Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla, owners of Kolkata Knight Riders and Priety Zinta, who bought a stake in the Mohali team along with Ness Wadia.
Chief executive of Daredevils’ franchise owners GMR Sports Yogesh Shetty said many entertainment packages had been conceptualised in consultation with Akshay for the 44-day tournament.
‘Akshay’s personality matches the persona of the team. He is the first fan of the team. We have planned various entertainment packages with Akshay, but we cannot reveal it now,’ he said.
However, Akshay, who is very choosy regarding his brand endorsements, said that the things that attracted him towards Daredevils were his city roots and love for the game.
‘In my 18-year-old career I have endorsed only two brands — Coke and Grasim — because I feel that endorsing a product means one has to identify himself with the brand. This is my third endorsement and that’s because being a Delhite I can identify myself with the Daredevils,’ said the charismatic actor.
Mon, Mar 31 06:09 PM
Sources: CNN-IBN, IANS
