First there was IPL. Then came the Celebrity Cricket League and Tollywood Cricket League. Now get ready for some more starry cricket action with the Star Cricket League.

Fifty TV actors, Kaushik, Sameer, Pradeep, Sashidhar, Kalyan, Sriram, Bhavani Sankar and Satish, will be divided into four teams and play each other for the Star Cricket League trophy.

The brain behind this latest IPL clone is actor Lohit Kumar. Instead of 20 overs, SCL innings will have just 15 overs so as to accommodate more matches every day.

“We are already practising. Watch out for the commentary which would be hilarious and fun,” Lohit said. “We are sure of huge TRPs since we have been entertaining TV viewers 24/7 and our absence could make TVs go blank.”

The matches would be held in 20 district headquarters including Vijayawada, Rajahmundry, Tirupati, Kurnool and Kakinada.

“We have a committed following in districts, so we expect a good turnout at the stadiums,” he added. “Our intention is to promote sports among children in rural areas and also to expand our brand value.”

Dhananjaya Naidu, an event manager, is funding and marketing this tournament which would cost `20 to 25 lakh. “Dhananjay is supporting us and we already have a few sponsors.

We are negotiating with channels for live telecast,” Lohit said. The first match would be held in Tirupati in October and then one match every month, covering 12 towns in a year.

TV star Nanda Kishore, who has played in CCL, said, “I am passionate about cricket so it’s just another opportunity to prove my skills.

There are some more CCL players in this league.” SCL has also found support of superstars such as Venkatesh. “He has great love for cricket and is supporting us. His presence as a chief guest would boost our efforts,” said Lohit.

Meanwhile, actors like Ashmita, Chitralekha, Sri Vani and Tanu Roy would play cheerleaders for their teams.

“It’s going to boost the popularity of TV stars and show our multiple skills,” said Srivani, while Chitralekha said she would love to be on the field, but since that cannot be, she is happy to support her team from the sidelines.

Media Partner

Ekadantha Telefilms, Cinemasamachar