MUMBAI: Sony Entertainment Television's (SET) obsession with cricket continues. SET had acquired the exclusive rights to air the Samsung IIFA awards. The International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) has announced that as a precursor to the much awaited Samsung IIFA Awards 2003, an IIFA Charity Cricket Match will be held on 15 May 2003 from 4.00 pm at The Centurion Cricket Ground, Johannesburg, South Africa.
The match is being held to provide aid to the behind-the-scenes staff of Indian cinema. These would include technicians, light boys, assistants and the likes, states an official release. Part of the proceeds from the match in Johannesburg will also go towards South Africa's 'Northern Cricket Union Development Programme' .
The match would see a total of 40 players with three teams playing in the round robin format in matches consisting of eight overs each. The winners will be awarded medals. Professional commentators along with actors from Indian cinema will provide commentary for the match, the release adds.
"Cricket and cinema in India can be best described as a passion in this country. Being the 'official sponsor of digital passion', it is but natural for us to be associated with both of these. We will be leveraging both these associations in the coming months to reach out to more and more of our consumers all over the country," Samsung India director R Zutshi is quoted as saying in the release.
Conceptualised by Wizcraft International Entertainment, the charity match will see Team Samsung - Harbhajan Singh, Dinesh Mongia, Mohammad Kaif, Zaheer Khan and Anil Kumble join hands with Kapil Dev, Ajay Jadeja, Mohammed Azharuddin and Bollywood stars like Suniel Shetty, Anil Kapoor, Salman Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Rahul Khanna, Zayed Khan, Fardeen Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Arbaaz Khan, Sanjay Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Shilpa Shetty and others; South African sport stars including Lance Klusener and South African celebrities too will pit their talents on the cricket field. It is interesting to note that Azharuddin and Jadeja will be playing together outside the country for the first time after the BCCI ban.
According to the release, Suniel Shetty, Anubhav Agarwal from RNA Mirage Builders; Samsung India, Mehul Choksi from Gili; Sony Entertainment Television and B V Rao from Venky's Chicken have been instrumental in helping put the IIFA Charity Cricket Match together.
