Page 137 - IPL 2

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In Conversation with Srinivas Bommidala...

To begin with, tell me how has the IPL experience been for you in the previous 2 seasons?
For me the experience has been nothing short of phenomenal. Cricket in India is a religion and we did not need anyone to tell us
otherwise, but the IPL has completely revolutionalized the way cricket is viewed and perceived in India and internationally. More
importantly it has introduced the business of sport in India. I think it is this approach of a professional sporting franchise that has
made all the difference.

When and why did GMR as a company decide to get into sport?
As a family we were always very keen on sport and when the BCCI unveiled the Indian Premier League (IPL), we just knew that it was too
big an opportunity to pass up. We just thought that the IPL was the best opportunity to enter cricket and associate with this national
passion. Our core business is creating infrastructure such as airports, power plants, highways, etc. and so one of our key reasons to
join the IPL was to get involved in the development of stadia across the country and improve the sporting infrastructure, not just for
cricket, but for other sports as well. Going forward if we feel everything is going right, we could look at converting GMR Sports into a
sports management company.

You have spoken out against talk that the IPL is just a money making exercise.
While some say that the IPL is all about making money, they fail to acknowledge that a lot of young cricketing talent has been unearthed
by the league. Look at players like Yusuf Pathan, Pragyan Ojha and Amit Mishra who have made it to the Indian National Team because
of their exploits in the IPL. We are glad to be a part of this process and hope to bring many more players to the fore. Not to mention the
fan following that IPL has helped generate for the game and its players.

At GMR we want to support grass root cricket and be a part of the developmental and nurturing process for our youth. This is one of the
primary reasons of us joining the IPL.

Tell us about your trump cards, the lethal combination that is Gautam Gambhir and Virendra Sehwag.
Cricket is a religion in India. And players like Gambhir and Sehwag have attained the status of demi-gods. We are happy that they are
part of our team. Who would not want to see this dynamic pair crush opposition with their fl uent and aggressive stroke play? The fact
that they are from Delhi further adds to the excitement quotient for all the Delhi Daredevils fans. We would love to have them continue
with us in all the future seasons of the IPL.

You also have some of the best foreign players in your team.
The Delhi Daredevils have some of the most prolifi c foreign players who have helped add to the overall team dynamics. We have
Tilakaratne Dilshan, Dirk Nannes, David Warner, AB de Villiers, Andrew McDonald, and Farveez Maharoof. Each of them brings to the
team a unique skill set, which has helped the teams overall performance. The younger players get a unique opportunity to interact and
learn from them and that undoubtedly helps groom these youngsters some of whom, I have no doubt, are future stars of tomorrow. The
National Team members and foreign players have most defi nitely helped improve the quality of the game.

How did you react when Sehwag wanted to step down from captaincy of the Delhi Daredevils?
We respected his decision, since he had been indicating this from before. He wanted to focus on his game, playing his best cricket i will not hide the fact that we were a little disappointed at not making it to the
rather than captain the team. Undoubtedly there was a lot of pressure on him and we accepted his decision. In order to ensure that
the team was led by an able person, we appointed Gambhir as the captain. He is a local lad with immense potential and strong track fi nals in Season 2 in South Africa, especially after our build-up to that semi-fi nal. But
record. Gambhir has led Delhi in Ranji matches has about four or fi ve wins as the captain. We then appointed Dinesh Karthik as the vice we took it in our stride, and not to our heart, in the spirit of true sportsmanship. For
captain, who has also performed very well for the Delhi Daredevils.
this I am grateful to the IPL, which taught us to be sporting and supportive of the
What’s the marketing philosophy for the Delhi Daredevils? team, irrespective of the situation, be it a win or a loss.”
We are continuously working hard with all with all our partners and sponsors, right through the year, whether it is in India or outside. I
want to make this a year round property. Even when we went to South Africa we never completely shut down the advertising here. We
created a fan club and even fl ew some of the fans to South Africa to watch the games there. SRINIVAS BOMMIDALA

We are making every effort, but are not there yet. We want to become the heartbeat of Delhi. “

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