MUMBAI: The organisers of the upcoming second edition of the franchise based Tennis Premier League (TPL) have added a fourth celebrity to the league’s ownership roster.
After earlier announcing that Indian tennis legend Leander Paes will have a stake in the Mumbai franchise, as too Bollywood actors Sonali Bendre and Rakul Preet Singh, organisers revealed that that Indian film actress, producer and director Divya Khosla Kumar had bought a stake in TPL’s Delhi Binnys Brigade.
The wife of music mogul and T-Series CMD Bhushan Kumar has partnered with businessman Sneh Patel for her entry into the sports firmament.
When asked about this, the actress said: I’m happy to venture into Tennis Premier League… I try to involve myself in such initiatives which are for the larger good. TPL is not only promoting and encouraging Tennis as a sport but is also giving a boost to all our talented wheelchair players which I think is a great thing to do.”
Co owner Sneh Patel added: “On the player auction we have managed to get some top players like Ankita Raina and Saketh Myneni to play for our team. With a mentor like Aditya Sachdeva and a co-owner like Divya, I’m sure Delhi Binnys Brigade now has a good chance to win.”
TPL will be held from December 12 to 15 at the Celebration Sports Club in Andheri, Mumbai. A total of eight teams featuring 88 players, across categories, will be in action.
The teams in TPL will comprise men’s and women’s players, besides girl’s under-18, boys under-14 and Wheelchair participants.
The under-18 girls and under-14 boys players will be picked through talent hunts in four cities. Talent days will be held in Ahmedabad and Mumbai on October 20 and 23, while in Hyderabad and Delhi on November 3 and 10 respectively. Registrations for talent days will commence on August 5 and end on October 5.
Founded by former national player Kunal Thakkur and actor/entrepreneur Mrunal Jain, the first edition of the league had Aishwarya Rai Bachan and Paes as team ambassadors / owners.
With a total prize fund of Rs 6 million, the event will see Arjun Khade leading the men’s field while Ankita Raina will be the top female player in the tournament.
The League is affiliated with All India Tennis Association (AITA) and will be conducted under the auspices of Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA).
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