Venue: Hyderabad

Date: 7th February, 2016

Status : Kerala Strikers won by 7 wickets

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Venue: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi

Date: 31st January, 2016

Status : Kerala Strikers win by 6 Wickets

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Venue: Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium, Bangalore

Date: 23rd January, 2016

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As I step through the boundary lines the team is in full fledge practice, it’s already sunny and each activity on the ground seems to be in progress with clarity that may have been missing in the last two years. Later during a team meeting, I meet the Chief Coach Chandra Senan at Dream Hotel Cochin where the team is staying. “The focus of the camp this time around is about getting the players match fit both physically and mentally. They need to pace themselves in both the innings. For this, specific tasks are given to all the members of the team.  Special emphasis has been given to fielding, running between the wickets and technical corrections needed for batting”, says the Coach. The tan on the players is unmistakable and a few of them have a puffy skin from the extended time spend in chlorinated waters of the swimming pool.  The team has been undergoing major fielding drill under the sun, running around scarping their knees and elbows on the almost non-existent outfield. A full length dive by Rajeev Pillai has resulted in a shoulder injury but he brushes off the setback with his customary humility. The team under the watchful eye of the coach has been spending a mandatory hour in the pool for stamina building and breath control exercise.  Mr. Senan is confident about the changes that have happened in the team. There is certain amount of hunger from all the players to improve and he points out that there have been remarkable improvements in some players, namely Riyaz Khan and Prajodh Kalabhavan. Of the opposing teams the Chennai Rhinos is very strong but they are looking forward to the match in Cochin as the home ground support will be with Kerala Strikers.

The team meeting was very upbeat and the usual bantering and teasing evident all around. One of the owners Mr. Shaji calls up MohanLal for a special message to the team.Mr. Shaji is very happy about how things are shaping up. The higher television rating for the celebrity cricket league is a sure fire indicator of how popular this event has turned out to be. He is a bit concerned about MohanLal’s absence as, Lal had been the main motivator and energy giver not just to the team but also the management.  Mr. Jaison a new member in the team management is very excited to the part of this. As a Malayalam Movie buff and criceket loving this is the ultimate combination for him, and he is sure of the team’s success in the coming days. 

The energy among the team members revolve around two people Bineesh Kodiyeri, Mani Kuttan, one compliments the other with an obvious deference to the more senior player.  “There is a new level of commitment for all the players primarily because the work on field and off field has been defined in a much better manner with a lot of effort on fielding”, say Binnesh. Rajeev Pilli was very cautious when asked about the prospect of the team. “Let’s play hard and hope for the best” he quips.

Brand Ambassador Mythili has been constantly chatting about the experience with the team.  She has been travelling constantly with the team during their practices session, not just sitting on the sidelines but actively engaging.  The result is a very fit and trim Mythili who is looking fabulous both in and out of the jersey. “It will be exciting to have a women’s team too, hopefully in near future there will be one”,she says signing off.

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Chat with Shaji, team owner

The kerala strikers owner is hopeful of a better show from the team this time.

Was CCL Season 2 a profitable affair and why?
No, it wasn’t. Its reasons are quite confidential. But this time, yes, it definitely seems to be much better.

Do you see CCL becoming bigger than IPL?
Yes, it is, as one can very well make it out from the ratings of CCL 2.

Biggest challenge you face to have all the celebs together?
Not much really, as things go very smooth with AMMA’s co-operation. Interacting with celebs is nothing new to me. I have been friends with Lal and Priyan for 25 years.

Considering the ratings, he feels that ccl has the potential to become a bigger sports event than ipl.

Tete-a-tete with chief coach Chandrasenan

About the strategy for this season…
This time our strength is batting. We aim to score maximum runs.

How do you see winning possibilities?
Our team has equally good bowlers and batsmen. We are going to play to achieve our ultimate dream of lifting the CCL Trophy this season. But having said all these, I would say cricket is a sport in which luck too plays its game. So keeping our fingers crossed, we are going to play our first match against Mumbai Heroes on our home ground.

Bitter lessons of CCL 2…
It still hurts me when I think of the match we played against Karnataka Bulldozers. We dropped four crucial catches which affected our winning possibilities. It all happened due to lack of experience. I have reminded them that ‘catches win matches’.

What was the toughest match last year?
The toughest was the match against Mumbai Heroes, a match which we thought of losing. Even we were surprised when we won against them for 10 wickets.

About new teams…
Veer Marathi’s are definitely going to be a strong team. Puneites have cricket in their blood. When I was in Pune, I used to play with some renowned cricket players. They are awesome when it comes to swinging the bat and diving for catches. They are promising opponents. About Bojpuri Dabanggs, I am yet to know them.

All-rounders in the team…
Saiju Kurup, Madhan Mohan, Ragendu

Best bowlers…
Bineesh, Vivek, Suresh Nair, Arjun

Best batsmen
Rajiv, Nivin, Madhan, Mani and Indrajith

In which match do you want the fans to cheer the most?
The match against Karnataka Bulldozers at Ranchi on March 2.

Edavela Babu, Team Manager about Kerala Strikers

Why the team has more new faces and a few superstars?
The only reason is their busy shooting schedule. Last year, many players used to come for matches straight from location without much preparation. It did affect the game. So now we are particular that all players need to attend practice sessions.

Last year’s after party experience…
I would say true colour of people comes out when they are drunk. They are their true self and that night we all were drunk. It was a memorable party with booze and dance.

Team upset about Lakshmi Rai, ex-ambassador of Kerala Strikers, who cheered for your opponent…
As thought her cheers matter to us. We were there for playing the game and not to be entertained by cheers.

About CCL curtain raiser 2013…
It was in Mumbai, a colourful event that had hundreds of celebs from the Indian film fraternity. Our team too did a bit of entertainment which was applauded. Lal sir sang the song ‘Aattumanal Payayil….’, Mamta sang ‘Daddy Mummy….’ And Indrajith surprised the audience with an evergreen Hindi track.

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FWD Life Magazine Proudly launches Kerala Strikers Calender the other day in Kochi. In a country of 1.7 billion who are united by one common religion- Cricket, the game reaches new bounds with Celebrity Cricket League. CCL has successfully merged two of our most preferred pastimes, the intensity of the gentleman’s game with the glamour and glitter of the reel world. Now that god’s own country has entered the big leagues with Kerala Strikers, we at FWD media are proud to be a part of this team.

FWD Life launched its FWD -Kerala strikers Calender 2012 in the star studded event held at jawaharlal nehru international stadium, Kochi. The Prime Calender was Unveilded by the Mega Stars of Malayalam movies, Mamooty and Mohanlal The occasion was one of a kind in Kerala and for its people. The  event saw our favorite stars from all over India come together for a friendly game of 20-20 cricket. The event also brought together famous personalities from the political and business world.

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