CAPE TOWN, 17 April 2009 – The DLF IPL today launched an R8-million scholarship programme for schools and individual learners that will be among the largest community programmes in South Africa by a sport organisation.

The tournament’s Chairman and Commissioner Lalit Modi announced the programme today at a special event at Alexander Sinton High School in Athlone, Cape Town. The school became the first beneficiary of the Help Educate And Teach (HEAT) programme when headmaster Faziel Parker officially received R100 000 paid into a dedicated scholarship fund at the school.

The launch was attended by hundreds of Alexander Sinton High School learners who were joined for the occasion by captains and leading players of DLF IPL teams including Shane Warne, Kevin Pietersen, MS Dhoni, Virender Sehwag and Saurav Ganguly.

Modi told the learners that a good education remains at the heart of any effort to develop and uplift individuals and nations.

“Talented sports people can become big stars, but without a good education there is something missing from sporting achievement. And for those of us not blessed with outstanding sporting talent, our futures are built on ensuring that we stay in school and equip ourselves for a productive and successful life,” he said.

Modi said that the emergence of a modern and successful India in recent times has been built on a strong education foundation. “This emphasis on education is now paying off many times over as India has grown into an economic powerhouse far better equipped to lift people out of poverty.

“This experience and several similarities between India’s and South Africa’s programmes to address poverty were central to our decision to focus on education as the DLF IPL’s investment in South African communities in need,” said Modi.

The HEAT programme has two parts. In the first, four schools in need in the vicinity of each host city have been identified to receive R100 000 for a specifically dedicated scholarship fund. In all, 32 schools will benefit from this aspect of the HEAT programme. Each R100 000 is paid directly into a scholarship bank account in the school’s name.

Parents and school governing bodies will be encouraged to participate in decisions on how to allocate scholarships.

Players from all the DFL IPL teams will be involved in visiting the beneficiary schools to mark the occasion.

The second part of the HEAT programme will benefit individual learners attending DFL IPL matches. With the help of match television producers, five learners will be identified at every match and their faces flashed on the stadium screens.

Each of these will have R15 000 paid into their school fees account in their names.

“It is well known that many parents struggle with school fees while striving to ensure that their children stay in school and get a good education. We hope the HEAT programme will make a real difference in the lives of those who benefit from it,” said Modi.

Cape Town, April 16, 2009: Setting up the 2009 DLF IPL tournament in South Africa inside three weeks has been an effort that stretches well beyond a logistical task unparalleled in world sport to building a brand and a legacy of enduring support in record time, says IPL Chairman and Commissioner Lalit Modi.

Speaking at a news conference in Cape Town today, Modi said a key driving factor for the IPL has been to engage South Africans and build excitement and enthusiasm.

“Once the need to move the tournament had been forced on us, we were determined that playing IPL 2009 in another country should be far more than an exercise in finding venues suitable for television.

“For us, South Africa was always suitable from a logistical and infrastructure point of view. But it is the welcome we’ve been given by ordinary South Africans that is justifying our belief that we can build a brand and legacy of involvement that last for years to come,” says Modi.

“Of course, we needed the agreement of all eight teams and the owners understood immediately the potential for turning a problem into a great opportunity.”

Modi said one of the most challenging aspects of the league organisation had been getting the schedule right. “My team finalised the schedule within 48 hours of arriving in South Africa. We started out having to schedule a league season of 56 games with each team playing the other seven on a home and away basis – plus three days of play-offs – in eight venues over a total of 37 days.

“There had to be an equal number of games per team in the main centres, no conflict with other major sports and cultural events and team and television production travel schedules had to be taken into account.

“Overall, then, I’m very pleased with the way it has worked out so far,” he said.

Government at national, provincial and local levels had been exceptionally accommodating, while the Cricket SA had welcomed the IPL with open arms and made its world-class stadiums available, said Modi.

About 700 people are currently working full time in South Africa on the DLF IPL, including an enormous team that has relocated from India to South Africa. This includes the Central IPL and IMG event team of 60, a television and digital media crew of over 200, the eight team franchises bringing about 30 playing staff each along with 20 coaching staff, executives and team owners for each team.

In South Africa, a range of companies were engaged over the course of several days at the end of March to provide security, broadcast support, PR and advertising, event management, entertainment, travel, hospitality and ticket sales.

Modi believes holding the DLF IPL in South Africa will bring with it tremendous economic benefits. “If we look at some of the key statistics it is clear to me that the economic benefits should be significant.”

He points to the total of 22,000 hotel rooms that have been booked with Southern Sun Hotels, 10 000 domestic flight bookings made and the millions of Rands expected to be spent on ticket, food and beverage, transport and merchandise sales.

“We also expect large groups of Indian tourists will come to South Africa to watch at least several games each,” says Modi.

The DLF IPL also engaged South African Etienne de Villiers to lead the marketing drive. De Villiers was until recently head of the ATP Tour, the world governing body of men’s tennis. He has also brought to bear years of earlier experience with the Walt Disney Group.

De Villiers, with the full-time support of Francois Pienaar, has lead the drive to ensure that matches feature the kind of fun, entertainment and excitement that the IPL became famous for in its first year in 2008. The two have travelled across South Africa to brief local media on the IPL’s plans and to encourage support.

“We’re finding radio stations generally to be especially excited and interested in finding different ways to run promotions, very much in keeping with very different approach of the IPL,” said De Villiers.

He told today’s news conference that Twenty20 cricket is by its nature more adrenalin-charged and an ideal vehicle around which to build many elements of fun and excitement for the whole family.

“The IPL takes these elements and turbo charges them,” said De Villiers. “For example, there will be live music, performances by Cirque du Soleil and a host of innovations at each game that will make it a wonderful outing for all members of the family.”

The festivities kicked off with a parade through the streets of central Cape Town yesterday afternoon. The parade featured specially built floats for each team and the IPL and teams of Cape Minstrels in between each float. Players and Bollywood celebrities climbed aboard each float for the parade.

Saturday’s opening double-header at Newlands will be followed by an opening spectacular including live music from Snow Patrol Tickets for the two double-headers on Saturday and Sunday were sold out within two hours.

Modi said it remained a challenge to engage with the broad base of all South Africans and get everyone excited by the IPL tournament. “But, we’ve come so far in an incredibly short time already that I’m optimistic that we can do it.”

He also thanked the cricket fans of India for their understanding. “I know they will watch the action on television in their millions and we look forward to bringing the DLF IPL home next season.”

Cape Town, April 16 2009: One lucky South African IPL fan with star quality stands to win a role in a Bollywood movie, R50 000 in cash, a business class trip to India and other prizes in the 2009 tournament’s Miss Bollywood SA competition.

The search for a South African lady with the potential to take Bollywood by storm was announced in Cape Town today by IPL Chairman and Commissioner, Lalit Modi, and Bollywood superstars Shah Rhuk  Khan, Shilpa Shetty and Preity Zinta.

“We’re looking for someone who has the star quality to stand out in a crowd, probably without even trying that hard. It’s that special, almost indefinable, quality that makes someone a star more than a beauty queen that we are looking for,” Modi said today.

“IPL matches with their mix of fun and excitement are an excellent environment to identify the kind of person who is a natural stand-out in a big crowd,” said Modi.

“Star searches like this are a really great way to find people who may never even have thought that they have what it takes to really make it big,” said Khan. “The heart of our idea is to search the crowd at IPL matches for someone who has the attitude and appearance that automatically draws the eye. It will be the kind of person who is not necessarily showing off for the camera, but who can mesmerise even total strangers,” he said.

A total of 50 winners will be chosen from the crowds at every one of the eight venues around the country that is to host IPL matches. Winners will be shown on the big screen at every match during the second five-minute break.

There will be one finalist per match, identified with the help of TV producers who will have cameras scanning the crowds. IPL matches are being played in Cape Town, East London, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Bloemfontein, Kimberley, Johannesburg and Pretoria. Tickets to matches are on sale through Computicket.

Photographs of each match winner will be loaded to a section of the IPL web site (www.iplt20.com) where fans from around the world can cast their vote. Fans casting votes will also be able to participate in a fan competition around Miss Bollywood SA.

Before photographs are uploaded to the web site, each winner will need to verify that she agrees to enter, that her photograph can appear on the web site and that she is at least 18 years old.

One finalist from each venue will be chosen, leaving eight winners to be hosted and feted at The Wanderers in Johannesburg at the final of the IPL 2009 tournament on 24 May. The ultimate winner will be announced during the final.