MUMBAI: The first edition of the Afghan Premier League (APL) has kicked off in Afghanistan and will run till 19 October.

The Afghan Football Federation and the Moby group is using this football initiative to rebuild Afghanistan. Grey Matter has been invited to produce the live pictures as well as the studio show around the live matches.

The matches are airing on Afghan channels Tolo TV and Lemar TV. There is live radio commentary. Also, all the matches are on You Tube and on a site afghanpremierleague.com for digital access across the world.

Grey Matter Entertainment founder Chandradev Bhagat said that Afghan Premier League is not just an entertainment and money making idea. ?It?s backed by profound emotions and feelings of the Afghani people. It is a wind of change for the people of the war torn country to celebrate and enjoy their life. For the sports starved Afghani?s, the Afghan Premier League is a personal asset that they cherish and thrive upon.?

"Local players are taking part. Including international players would have alienated the League from its people and wouldn?t create the appeal it has created now," he added.

APL is one of the biggest live productions ever attempted in Afghanistan. ?For me as a director, it is very important to tell the complete story and the story is more than just football. It is the happy faces on a family outing, the joy of celebration for the eyes that has seen enough bloodshed and the pure love and passion for the game that we are trying to capture. So, apart from the live matches, we are showcasing the sights and sounds of Afghanistan on-tour diaries with the players visiting various institutions with a social cause.?

For the studio TV show, two local stars have been roped in as hosts.

Grey Matter was also involved with the Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL) in cricket. Asked about the learning?s from that event, Bhagat said tournaments like these are a melting pot creating great platform for exposure to new and fresh talent. ?In the SLPL we focused on young talent on display. In the APL, we are again making a huge effort in molding the young stars by cementing their confidence and by familiarising them in the Afghani household. This also increases the fan base."

NEW DELHI: The Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL) is to be broadcast live on www.radiowalla.in. and on the official Face book pages of Radiowalla, SLPL and the official website of SLPL.

The venture will be marketed as SLPL Radio powered by Radiowalla.

Radiowalla is a direct-to-consumer radio service which offers a variety of special interest, mood enhancing Internet radio channels that indulge audiences worldwide. Radiowalla offers music and non-music streaming audio channels delivered via broadband across most digital and mobile platforms.

The SLPL Live commentary has commenced and will continue throughout the series ending 31 August. The commentary will be delivered by a team of professional commentators and amateurs.

Radiowalla Network CEO and co-founder Anil Srivatsa said, ?It would be great fun for listeners all over the world to be able to tune in and keep abreast with the game while engaged in other activity like work or social engagements. Access through our mobile apps will greatly enhance the reach and portability of the broadcast.?

The 2012 Mahindra Sri Lanka Premier League season is the debut edition of the Mahindra Sri Lanka Premier League, established by Sri Lanka Cricket in 2011. The season will run from 11 August to 31 August 2012.The tournament has a group stage and a knockout stage. The seven teams play a single round-robin tournament in the group stage and the top four teams qualify for the semifinals.

All of the matches in the tournament will be played at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy and R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.

Sommerset Entertainment Ventures (Singapore) chairman SandiipBhaamar said, ?We are delighted to be associated with radiowalla.in for the On-line audio commentary for the Mahindra SLPL. Commentary is a critical component for building a fan base for the SLPL worldwide given that commentary has traditionally associated with cricket more than any other sport in the sub-continent, and our partnership with radiowalla.in will ensure that as the SLPL grows, on-line commentary will keep in line with that tradition and will continue to add numbers to that growth trajectory.?

MUMBAI: Asian Television Network International Limited (ATN), Canada?s Largest South Asian broadcaster, has said it has secured the exclusive Canadian broadcast rights for the Sri Lanka Premier League for a period of seven years for all forms of broadcast.

The inaugural edition of the Sri Lankan premier league, which went underway on 11 August, will run till 31 August in Sri Lanka. The tournament features seven provincial teams at two venues: R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo and the Pallekele International Stadium in Kandy.

The new league features some of the best national and international players, including Tilakaratane Dilshan, Kumar Sangakara, Sanath Jayasuria, Muttiah Muralitharan, & Mahela Jayawardene from Sri Lanka; Chris Gayle & Shivnaraine Chanderpaul from West Indies; Shahid Afridi & Misbah Ul Haq from Pakistan; Tim Southee & Nathan McCullum from New Zealand; Albie Morkal from South Africa; and Dirk Nannes from Australia.

There will be a total of 24 matches including two semifinals and a final. The seven teams participating in the league are Nagenahira Nagas, Ruhuna Rhinos, Basnahira Bears, Kandurata Kites, Uthura Oryxes, Wayamba Wolves & Uva Unicorns.

"This is an exciting new opportunity to see top talent in premier league play. We are delighted to be able to bring this new league to Canadian fans," said ATN?s President and CEO Dr. Shan Chandrasekar.

Recently the Sri Lanka Cricket board auctioned the seven teams for over $30 million and all seven franchises were bought by Indian Business Enterprises. Some of the franchise owners include Wadhawan Holdings Private Limited, Number One Sports Consulting, Pearl Overseas Limited, Success Sports Private Limited and Indian Cricket Dundee Limited.

ESPN Star Sports holds the multi-platform rights for the SLPL in South Asia.

MUMBAI: Delhi-based Sportzworkz and Greymatter Entertainment have got production mandate for the production of inaugural edition of Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL).

The duo will be responsible for producing all the 24 matches besides the opening ceremony.

ESPN Star Sports holds the multi-platform rights for the T20 league that will feature seven teams namely Ruhuna Royals, the Kandurata Warriors, the Basnahira Cricket Dundees, the Nagenahira Nagas, Uva Next, Wayamba United and Uthura Rudras.

The season will run from 10 August to 31 August. The first match of the day will be played generally at 4 pm IST while the second match will begin at approximately 8 pm IST.

Speaking on the tie-up, ESS MD Peter Hutton said, ?I?m very happy to see top Indian production companies Sportzworkz and Greymatter entrusted with the live telecast and look forward to enjoying the quality of their work on our channels.?

Somerset Entertainment Ventures chairman Sandip Bhammer said, ?We are delighted to have Sportzworkz & Greymatter as the SLPL?s TV production partners. We aim to deliver a very high-quality viewership experience in respect of the SLPL globally, and in particular, on television.?

Sportzworkz has worked with events like Aircel Chennai Open 2011-2012, Indian Open Badminton 2012, India International Grand Prix Wrestling 2012, Jharkhand Premier League Cricket 2011 and Super Fight League 2012.

Greymatter specialises in sports, non-fiction and youth content, its project catalogue includes over 500 hours of IPL programming, Pepsi?s Change the Game around the ICC Cricket World Cup, Grammy Awards shows, MTV?s Captain?s Shack and a Formula One reality show involving Lewis Hamilton.

MUMBAI: It?s the Indian money that will bankroll the Sri Lanka Premier League as all the seven franchises have been bought by Indian business enterprises despite the fact that Indian players won?t be part of the league, the very reason why the tournament was postponed last year.

Leading the flock is Wadhawan Holdings which bought Wayamba for $5.02 million, thereby making it the costliest franchise. Number One Sports Consulting bid $4.98 million to bag the Kandurata franchise.

The Uva and Ruhuna franchises went to Success Sports and Pearl Overseas respectively for $4.6 million each.

Indian Cricket Dundee bought the Basnahira franchise for $4.33 million, while Uthura was snapped up by Rudra Sports for $3.4 million.

Pepsi Sri Lanka?s bottler, Varun Beverages Lanka, bid $3.22 million for owning the Nagenahira franchise. The Sri Lankan subsidiary is part of India-based Varun Beverages group.

The seven franchises have collectively committed $30 million for a period of seven years.

The first edition of the SLPL will be held from 10-31 August. The seven teams will play a total of 24 matches at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo and the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.

The players will be selected through draft process on 5 and 6 July. They will be divided into two groups with the first group comprising players from Sri Lanka while the second group will include foreign players.

The SLPL Franchise owners:

• Wayamba ? Wadhawan Holdings Private Limited ($5.02 million)
• Kandurata - Number One Sports Consulting Private Limited ($4.98 million)
• Ruhuna - Pearl Overseas Limited ($4.6 million)
• Uva Success Sports Private Limited ($4.6 million)
• Basnahira -Indian Cricket Dundee Limited ($4.33 million)
• Uthura - Rudra Sports Private Limited ($3.4 million)
• Nagenahira - Varun Beverages Lanka Private Limited ($3.22 million