About the Royal Challengers Bangalore

Make cricket a lifestyle sport raising the entertainment bar for the game. WIN IT - the single minded goal for Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Dr Vijay Mallya, the franchise owner and the brand ambassador for the team, is an avid sports enthusiast himself. Dr Mallya has taken personal interest in ensuring that the cricket lovers have a memorable time with a great game and outstanding teams. Indian Premier League (IPL) is a cricket tournament organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India and backed by the International Cricket Council (ICC). 8 unique teams from across the country will be participating in the maiden edition of the IPL. The team franchises were put up on auction in Mumbai on 20 February 2008. Dr Vijay Mallya, Chairman of the UB Group, proudly walked away with the Bangalore team for US$111.6 million.

IPL will be a globally talked about sporting event by exhibiting the highest quality of gamesmanship. The mission is to popularize this format and propel it to provide unique, wholesome entertainment to the entire family. For the first time in the history of cricket, players were put on auction. Each of the 8 teams went on a bidding spree to buy players from the star-studded players' roster in the auction conducted by the BCCI on 20 February 2008. The action was hot and bidding frenzied as the team members (except for Rahul Dravid, who is the 'Icon Player') were successfully bid for in the auction. Among the players collected were Indian Test cricket captain Anil Kumble, his team-mate Wasim Jaffer, West Indian Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Australians Nathan Bracken and Cameron White, South Africans Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher and Dale Steyn. Added to the squad a little later were latest Indian bowling sensations Praveen Kumar, Misbah-ul-Haq, Ross Taylor, Abdur Razzak, India U-19 Captain Virat Kohli and a host of extremely talented players from Karnataka. Solid Strategy - That's what comes to mind when you think of the Royal Challengers Bangalore. This is a team that firmly believes that a match here and there may be won with dash and verve, but it is the strategists who will ultimately take home the trophy. Right from the IPL auction, the Royal challengers' campaign has been true to its game plan. "Our focus was to build a solid, dependable, high performance team that can play well under pressure," says Charu Sharma, the CEO of the team.

And that's exactly what Royal Challengers have got. Clinical efficiency of Jacques Kallis (South Africa's leading batsman in the 2007 World Cup with 485 runs), flamboyance of Mark Boucher (who piloted a world-record chase of 434 against Australia with a brilliant 50), thriftiness of Nathan Bracken (Man of the series in the recently concluded tri-series in Australia; ODI and 20:20 economy rate of 4.37 and 6.51 respectively), raw speed of Dale Steyn (arguably the fastest bowler in the world currently), and boyish enthusiasm of Cameron White (who blasted a 55-ball century in the 20:20 competition during the 2006 county season).

Add to this, seasoned stars like Rahul Dravid, Zaheer Khan and 'Master of Control' Anil Kumble and Praveen Kumar (Man of the Match in the 2008 tri-series finals in Australia), and the Bangalore Royal Challengers have a team of world beaters who thrive on challenges and possess the firepower to come out in flying colours.

Along with Chief Cricket Officer Martin Crowe, Coach Venkatesh Prasad and Captain Rahul Dravid, this think tank takes up every leg of team building and strategizing for the tournament on a war-footing.

The Royal Challengers are ready and raring to don their red and yellow outfits and rumble. As the floodlights come on, no quarter will be sought and none will be given. As one of the greatest jousts of modern history gets underway, there is just one thing for the cricket fans to say…Cheers! The Washington Redskins Cheerleaders are the oldest active cheerleading organization in the National Football League (NFL), USA. On September 30, 1962, 30 talented and beautiful women made their debut as the Redskinettes. As they marched down the field in Native American costumes to join the band, they stepped into history and the tradition began. In their 45-year history, these ladies have become the most talented, and innovative in the NFL. They will be here in India to cheer for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and will also help them to scout for local cheerleaders through a "Talent Hunt" across the country. Located adjacent to the Cubbon Park in downtown Bangalore, the M Chinnaswamy Stadium was originally named the Karnataka State Cricket Association Stadium. It was later renamed in tribute to M Chinnaswamy, President of the Indian cricket board from 1977 to 1980, and involved with the administration of Karnataka cricket for close to four decades. The foundation of the stadium was laid in May 1969 and construction began in 1970. The stadium was given Test status in 1974-75, and hosted West Indies in the opening match. That match witnessed the debut of two West Indian greats, Gordon Greenidge and Sir Vivian Richards. The stadium also played host to Sunil Gavaskar's swansong innings against Pakistan in 1987. The stadium was renovated and flood lights were installed for the first time before the epic World Cup quarter-final in 1996 between India and Pakistan. Since then, Bangalore has proved to be a lucky venue for visiting teams with South Africa, Australia and Pakistan winning crucial games.

Established: 1969
Capacity: 41,000
Lighting: Flood Lit
Bowling End: Pavilion End, BEML End
Curator: Narayan Raju