COLORS and Royals Sports Group-owned franchise Rajasthan Royals has announced the launch of their new cricket reality show, ‘Cricket Ka Ticket’. As per the company, the show will be available to watch for cricket fans around the nation on Viacom18’s flagship Hindi entertainment channel COLORS and on Jio Cinema from 19th March 2023. TV presenter Mandira Bedi will be the host for the inaugural edition of the show.
It is believed that a selected pool of 22 talented cricketers have reached the Rajasthan Royals High Performance Centre in Talegaon, Nagpur, chosen from lakhs of applicants who had registered for trials in December 2022. These raw and uncapped players will be granted a life-time opportunity of realising their cricket dream. ‘Cricket Ka Ticket’ trials were conducted across multiple cities in the country for both men and women beyond 18 years of age. The company claims that this cricket reality show provides a platform for them to showcase their skill, who dreamt of making a career in professional cricket at the highest level.
These selected players will be on an 8-week long intense journey under the watchful mentorship of cricket experts who will work on their fitness, discipline, technique and several other aspects of the game. The show will witness players including Mohammad Kaif, Aakash Chopra, Jaya Sharma, Munaf Patel, Suresh Raina, Murali Kartik, Pravin Tambe, and MC Mary Kom. In addition, the finals will have Rajasthan Royals players such as captain Sanju Samson, top-order batters Devdutt Padikkal and Yashasvi Jaiswal, pacer Navdeep Saini among others gracing the occasion and interacting with the talented pool of selected players. The Sri Lankan duo of Kumar Sangakkara and Lasith Malinga, who are part of the Royals coaching set-up, will also be present for the finale.
The ultimate goal for each of these chosen men and women cricketers will be to bag the golden opportunity of appearing for trials with the Rajasthan Royals and other women’s T20 teams, along with a 1-year mentorship program with Rajasthan Royals coaches, mentors, and players. One male and one female winner will also earn themselves a cash prize of ₹5 lacs each, the company stated
Vivek Mohan Sharma, head – branded content, Viacom18 commenting on the partnership, said, “Cricket remains a unifying sport for people in India and each of them dream to become a professional cricketer and play at the highest level. ‘Cricket Ka Ticket’ will be a unique platform where we merge cricket with entertainment, to provide a complete package of ‘Cricketainment’ for the audience and brands alike. Such impactful content goes a long way to foster audience engagement and leverage brand associations.”
Alok Chitre, chief business officer, Rajasthan Royals, said, “Our mission at the Royals has always been to ‘transform society through cricket and cricket through innovation’, and with ‘Cricket Ka Ticket’ we are delighted to have presented this life-altering opportunity to these select, remarkable boys and girls who have been scouted from across the country. We are a franchise that has always taken pride in unearthing young, unidentified talent, and in providing them with a platform to deliver. Through this talent hunt and under the guidance of the best sporting brains, we hope to find the next cricket superstars of India.”