Franchisees aim to tap overseas fan base

Top bosses, officials and coaches of Indian Premier League (IPL) teams are unlikely to take all their personnel to South Africa as being pound-wise would be a top priority. Even if the IPL foots the bill for travel and accommodation it is set to come with a rider: shed flab.

Kevin Pietersen-led Bangalore Royal Challengers (BRC), will organise a camp in South Africa. The team is chalking out a plan with South Africa-based coach Ray Jennings. “We will take only  our best players,” a BRC official said. A camp is already underway at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore in which players like Robin Uthappa and Virat Kohli, among others, are participating.

Deccan Chargers will begin their camp in Hyderabad on Sunday. Their African camp will begin from April 8. “A 10-day camp prior to the tournament is a good acclimatise exercise,” said Venkat Reddy. “We are a 28-player squad. We will conduct a fitness test before finalising the squad.”

Arvinder Singh, vice-president, operations, Kings’ XI Punjab, said the team was awaiting a final schedule from the IPL. “We were supposed to conduct a camp in Mohali from April 1. However, that is unlikely to happen now. Once we know the schedule we can take a call.”

Reddy believes that holding the tournament in South Africa has advantages. “It’s also a good opportunity for us to build a fan base abroad. I am confident that Deccan Chargers as a team and a brand will only get stronger if we do well in South Africa.”