BENGALURU: Cine stars and cricketers will battle it out on a level playing field at the Karnataka Chalana Chitra Cup on September 8 and 9. Six teams – Rashatrakuta Panthers, Ganga Warriors, Wadeyar Charges, Hoysala Eagles, Vijayanagar Patriots and Kadamba Lions – spearheaded by top Sandalwood stars, including Sudeep, Shivarajkumar, Upendra, Puneeth Rajkumar, Yash and Ganesh, will fight it out at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
In addition, international cricketers – Virendra Sehwag, Tilakarathne Dilshan, Hershelle Gibbs, Owais Shah and Lance Klusner – and Karnataka state cricket players – will also join the teams for a 10-over match. Chief Minister of Karnataka H D Kumaraswamy, will inaugurate the two-day tournament.
With the Karnataka Tourism Board supporting the second season of the event, word has it that Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi or his son Ram Charan Tej will also be coming down as chief guest of the occasion. Bollywood actors Suniel Shetty and Sohail Khan are also likely to be present.
“It was Sudeep's brainchild and we've all joined hands for this event,” says Karthik Gowda, who is one among the six patrons. Others include directors S Krishna and Nanda Kishore, producers Jack Manju and KP Sreekanth, and general secretary of Press Club Sadashiv Shenoy.
Karthik, also lets us in that the game is going to be a flood light match of 10:10, to be held from afternoon to night. “A total of 100 players including celebrities and cricketers will be part of this game,” he adds.
Each team comprises different owners including Surappa Babu, CR Manohar, Jayanna, Sathish from the film industry. “The players have been putting in hours of practice over the last one month.
The KCC began as a small idea, which has now grown into an event as large as this. After the success of the first season held at Aditya Grounds, Nelamangala, the entire film industry has come together for the second season. While top Sandalwood actors will be donning the role of cricket captains, the game will include directors and various technicians along with professional cricket players,” says Manju, adding, “We are expecting a full house.”
Shivarajkumar has requested all his fans to be part of this tournament. "We are doing our best to help Kodagu flood victims. I am a big fan of Adam Gilchrist and I am lucky to play with him."
Floodlit match:
September 8: Four matches
September 9: Two matches and finals
Tickets are available at Chinnaswamy Stadium and at Sangeetha Mobile outlets. They are priced range between Rs 50 and Rs 5,000. Proceeds of the match will be contributed towards the Kodagu Relief Fund.
‘You need to take the sport seriously’
Sudeep says actors and technicians have taken a break from films and are practising the game on field. “It was my idea but everyone came together to make it possible. We will be facing more cameras at the game. I am excited to see excitement of everyone else at the stadium. Be it films or sports, you need to take it seriously.”