preity zinta and her hugging of ipl players

Glamorous Bollywood actress Preity Zinta today described herself as the "good luck factor" of her IPL-owned franchisee - Kings XI Punjab.

Zinta, 33, whose team will take on the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Chennai Superstars in an IPL match at the Mohali Cricket Ground on the outskirts of Chandigarh today, was quoted by The Australian as saying: "My involvement with the team is total. I am extremely passionate about our team. I believe I am the team's good luck factor, so I want to be there for everything."

"Bollywood and cricket remain the biggest draws in our country. The IPL will witness the marriage of entertainment and cricket. It will be a great fusion and the possibilities are endless. I am excited about it," she added.

Zinta, the star of countless Bollywood movies, is seen to symbolise all the glitz and the razzamatazz and the tamasha of a game that India's cricket board believes is set to revolutionise the game across the globe.

Her 76 million dollar team is coached by Tom Moody and will take on the Chennai Superstars, which has the likes of Australian opener Mathew Hayden and is coached by former South African cricket captain and opener Keppler Wessels.

Zinta, a convent-educated graduate in criminal psychology known for her outspoken views, said that with both Yuvraj Singh and Brett Lee in her team, and with Tom Moody as coach, she believed she had some of the best players in the game.

Asked why she had got involved in the IPL, breaking new ground in the sport, she said she had been a sports person all her life:

"My father used to have tournaments in his name in Himachal Pradesh. I wanted to set up a sports school in Himachal. Then, I heard about the BCCI opening up an avenue for private participation in the IPL and I jumped at it. It's a matter of great pride for me to be able to promote the game at grassroots level," she said.

Others in the Kings XI Punjab team are Australian all-rounder James Hopes and the New Zealander Kyle Mills.

Facing them in the Chennai Super Kings, owned by Indian Cements, will be, in addition to Hayden, MS Dhoni, former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming, Muttiah Muralitharan and South Africa spearhead Makhaya Ntini.

Australians will be to the fore in tonight's other big game between the Rajasthan Royals based in Jaipur and captained and coached by Shane Warne, and the Delhi Daredevils, whose mainstay is Glenn McGrath.

Both are planning major stadium spectacles as they begin their quest for a share of the more than four million dollars in prize money that is up for grabs in 59 matches played over the next 45 days.


Copyright Asian News International

Bangalore Royal Challengers

Owner: UB Group Franchise fee: $111.6 million Most expensive player: Rahul Dravid - $1,035,000
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Business tycoon Dr. Vijay Mallya owns the Bangalore Royal Challengers, named after one of Mallya's top brands. The team from the Garden City will be led by one of its favourite sons Rahul Dravid who is also its Icon Player. A formidable line-up, the squad has great talent with the likes of Indian Test cricket captain Anil Kumble along with Praveen Kumar and Zaheer Khan, West Indian Shivnarine Chanderpaul, South Africa's Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher and Dale Steyn, Aussies Nathan Bracken and Cameron White. Youth will be represented by the U-19 Cricket World Cup winning captain Virat Kohli, Shreevats Goswami and Arun Kumar among others. Charu Sharma is designated as the CEO of the team while former Kiwi captain Martin Crowe has also been roped in to be part of the team management. Former India fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad has been sought to coach the team. Red and golden yellow are the team colours. The Royal Challengers will be expected to shine in the IPL with their talent, determination and buoyancy.

Mumbai Indians

Owner: Reliance Industries Ltd Franchise fee: $111.9 million Most expensive player: Sachin Tendulkar - $1,121,250
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Team Mumbai exemplifies the essence of its home city. The land of a myriad dreams is a melting pot and Mumbai Indians does its best to showcase the same. This franchise is the most expensive in the league and has a fantastic side headed by none other than the Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar who is also its Icon Player. Harbhajan Singh, Robin Uthappa, Sanath Jayasuriya, Shaun Pollock, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Loots Bosman alongside young talent from Mumbai Abhishek Nayar, Ajinkya Rahane, Pinal Shah and Yogesh Takawade make up the Mumbai squad balancing youth and experience. Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries Limited owns the team and one can surely look forward to some scintillating performances from the Mumbai Indians.

Delhi Daredevils

	Owner: GMR Holdings Franchise fee: $84 million Most expensive player: Virender Sehwag - $833,750
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The Delhi Daredevils will be led by Icon Player Virender Sehwag - the Nawab of Najafgarh who recently scored the fastest triple hundred in Test cricket. The team boasts of solid batsmen like AB de Villiers, Gautam Gambhir and Shoaib Malik, and bowlers led by the likes of Glenn McGrath, Daniel Vettori and Mohammad Asif. The team is owned by the GMR Group and its home ground is the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium at Delhi. Greg Shipperd will don the mantle of the coach while Bollywood star Akshay Kumar is the brand ambassador of the Daredevils. Watch out for this team as they proclaim that they are going to play their cricket with unabashed enthusiasm and well on the front foot.

Kolkata Knight Riders

	Owner: Shahrukh Khan, Juhi Chawla, Jai Mehta Franchise fee: $75.09 million Most expensive player: Sourav Ganguly - $1,092,500
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The Eden Gardens will be home to the Kolkata Knight Riders. The star-studded squad comprises of some of the biggest names in world cricket. Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting, Chris Gayle of the West Indies, Brendon McCullum of New Zealand and rising Indian star Ishant Sharma are on this envious roster. Sourav Ganguly, the Prince of Kolkata, has been accorded Icon Player status and will lead the side. Owned by the Badshah of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan, the franchise has left no stone unturned while spending on the team's promotion. The mission and vision statements of the team clearly signify the power and confidence this side will exude. After all, they are the King's men!

Rajasthan Royals

	Owner: Emerging Media Group Franchise fee: $67 million Most expensive player: Mohammad Kaif - $675,000
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The Pink City of Jaipur is represented by the Rajasthan Royals. At first glance, this team will appear as the underdog. But beware, it is the only team to have a player who will also coach the team. And it is none other than the spin wizard from Down Under - Shane Warne. Warne is also the only non-Indian cricketer to lead a side in the IPL. The team may not have an Icon Player but it manages a roll call of some of the finest talent in cricket. India's Mohammad Kaif and Munaf Patel will rub shoulders with the likes of Graeme Smith, Justin Langer and Younus Khan. Owned by the Emerging Media Group, the Royals will also field many of India's young guns. The team logo has a lion citing the power of the Royals and the war horn which denotes a war cry. The team will reflect Rajput values of courage and valour.

Deccan Chargers

	Owner: Deccan Chronicle and M Group Franchise fee: $107 million Most expensive player: Andrew Symonds - $1,350,000
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The Deccan Chargers of Hyderabad is owned by media house Deccan Chronicle. Local favourite and captain of the team VVS Laxman gave up the chance to be Icon Player to help his team have more to bid with. The gesture did pay off and the Chargers added the likes of Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, Scott Styris, Herschelle Gibbs and Shahid Afridi to its roster. RP Singh, Chaminda Vaas and Nuwan Zoysa were also the pick of the bowlers. Exciting young prospects like Rohit Sharma, Venugopal Rao, Arjun Yadav and Sarveesh Kumar are also part of the squad. The Deccan Chargers mascot represents a charging bull signifying strength, power and aggression while the red and gold bands on the flag stand for dominance and victory. Former Indian player Robin Singh will don the coach's role and the squad will look to live up to their tag of being "The Unstoppables".

Chennai Super Kings

Owner: India Cements Franchise fee: $91 million Most expensive player: Mahendra Singh Dhoni - $1.5 million
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The Chennai Super Kings created history of sorts when they outbid competitors to have Mahendra Singh Dhoni in their ranks. The highest paid star of the league will also fulfill skipper duties for the team. Owned by India Cements, the franchise has added star value in former cricketer Kris Srikkanth and South Indian actors Vijay and Nayantar appointed as brand ambassadors. The MA Chidambaram Stadium will be the home ground. Coached by former South African cricketer Kepler Wessels, the team makes up for the absence of an Icon Player by having stalwarts like Matthew Hayden, Stephen Fleming, Michael Hussey, Jacob Oram, Makhaya Ntini and Muttiah Muralidharan lending their participation to the Super Kings. The team's name was chosen as a tribute to the rulers of the golden era of Tamil culture.

KINGS XI PUNJAB

Mission:
To be the most successful and entertaining franchise in the league.

Vision:
To promote cricket in the region by providing global explsure to local talent, and attracting new audiences for the sport through innovative presentation.

Owner: Preity Zinta, Ness Wadia (Bombay Dyeing), Karan Paul (Apeejay Surendra Group) and Mohit Burman (Dabur)
Franchise fee: $76 million
Most expensive player: Yuvraj Singh - $1,063,750

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Mission: To be the most successful and entertaining franchise in the league. Vision: To promote cricket in the region by providing global explsure to local talent, and attracting new audiences for the sport through innovative presentation. Owner: Preity Zinta, Ness Wadia (Bombay Dyeing), Karan Paul (Apeejay Surendra Group) and Mohit Burman (Dabur) Franchise fee: $76 million Most expensive player: Yuvraj Singh - $1,063,750
Lion-hearted, spirited, passionate, hospitable, entertaining and brave - these are the words that the Kings XI Punjab team use to describe themselves. The team has made its mission clear "To be the most successful and entertaining franchise in the league". With Bollywood's Preity Zinta, and renowned industrialists Ness Wadia, Mohit Burman and Karan Paul behind this venture, the franchise has managed to come up with an impressive list of cricketers. Batting stalwarts Mahela Jayawardena, Kumar Sangakkara and Ramnaresh Sarwan will be expected to deliver alongside smiling assassin Brett Lee, break-dancing S. Sreesanth and Irfan Pathan who will spearhead the bowling attack. Tom Moody is designated as the coach, while local favourite Yuvaj Singh is the captain of the starry squad.