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IPTL inches closer to tennis fans

With the announcement of ticket sales and broadcasting partners, the soon-to-air International Premier Tennis League enters the next big stage of its germination

IPTL inches closer to tennis fans

AT a time when the country?s sports scenario is already charged up with the ongoing Indian Super League football tournament, the announcement of ticket sales for the Delhi leg of the inaugural International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) after the Diwali weekend comes as further good news to fans. The IPTL also recently announced Star Sports as its broadcasting partner in the country.

The IPTL has already created quite a stir among Indian tennis fans for bringing in legendary players like Roger Federer, 14-time Grand Slam champion Pete Sampras, Novak Djokovic, Caroline Wozniacki, Eugenie Bouchard, Goran Ivanisevic, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Daniela Hantuchova, Tomas Berdych, Lleyton Hewitt, Carlos Moya, Patrick Rafter, Kirsten Flipkens and Nenad Zimonjic to India during the three-day spectacle in New Delhi.

From December 6 to 8, tennis fans will get to see two matches a day?the first at 4 pm and the second at 7.30 pm?at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi. Each ticket will allow spectators to watch the three-day action. The indoor stadium, with its 15,000-plus seating capacity, is the largest indoor sports arena in India and the third-largest in Asia.

?Sports fans in India are in for a treat; having the opportunity to watch all these stars at one fixed price does not exist at any tennis event across the world,? said Mahesh Bhupathi, on behalf of the IPTL.

IPTL tickets for New Delhi will be available for sale through the Indian Aces? official online ticketing partner http://www.bookmyshow.com. Tickets will be released in phases; with close to 6,000 tickets available for sale across price categories during phase 1.

Shubhodip Pal, CMO, Micromax Informatics, the owners of the Indian franchise, said, ?The tickets for the three-day world-class event are priced to cater to all demographics of fans in the country. Our endeavour is to offer the best spectacle for sports enthusiasts and audiences in India to witness the biggest names in professional tennis play in India.?

With ticket prices ranging from R3,240 to R49,680, fans ranging from students to the country?s glitterati will be able to witness the best names from the world of tennis.

Matches will be telecast live on Star Sports, Star Sports HD and starsports.com. Indian Badminton League, Hero Hockey India League and the more recent Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League and Hero Indian Super League are some of the other leagues that have entrusted Star Sports with their broadcasting rights.

?The IPTL is an unprecedented opportunity for sports fans across India to experience the game played by its legends. This is the first time India will play host to some of the biggest names in tennis, and we at Star Sports are extremely proud to be associated with this league. We?re confident that the league will take the game of tennis to greater heights and further accelerate its development and adoption,? said Nitin Kukreja, president, Sports, Star India.

IPTL will be played in typically indoor stadiums across four Asian countries?the Philippines, Singapore, India and the UAE from November 28 to December 13. The India leg of the IPTL that is scheduled to be held in Delhi would be witness to tennis greats like Roger Federer, who would be playing in India

for the first time, besides

Novak Djokovic, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Tomas Berdych, Goran Ivanisevic and

Pete Sampras.

Commenting on the announcement, Bhupathi, who is the founder and MD of IPTL, said, ?On behalf of the IPTL, we?re very excited that Star Sports has acquired the rights to broadcast over the long term. Given their network strength and their commitment to growing sport in the country, our decision to partner with them was an easy one. We?re confident that the IPTL?s quicker and more exciting format, bundled with Star Sports? strength in packaging and promotion will lend greatly to delivering a great viewing experience to sports fans, and attracting new ones to the game!?

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First published on: 19-10-2014 at 02:28 IST
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