Mumbai: In yet another venture into the sporting world, SG Sports led by APL Apollo has acquired ‘Bengaluru Spartans’, one of the eight teams that will be participating in the much-awaited Tennis Premier League- TPL 2023. With the ownership of this team with SG Sports Ventures now, it has been renamed as ‘Bengaluru SG Mavericks’ with ace tennis player Sania Mirza as its brand ambassador. A new logo of the team has also been launched. ‘Bengaluru SG Mavericks’ is a complete team with both men and women tennis players who will participate in the high-octane sporting event in December, in different formats like Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, Mixed Doubles, and Men’s Doubles.
APL Apollo is a leading structural steel tube brand with over 55 per cent share in the domestic market. Its strategic arm, SG Sports, is committed to significantly impacting the sporting industry.APL Apollo Tubes Ltd chief managing director (CMD) Sanjay Gupta has a huge passion for sports. This segment is dedicated to supporting and nourishing young sporting talent in India.
The fifth edition of the highly anticipated tournament is set to be held in December this year, with all the matches taking place at the Balewadi Stadium in Pune. The adrenaline-packed event is being organized under the auspices of the All India Tennis Association (AITA) and Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA). The popularity of TPL can be gauged from the fact that many celebrities have been associated with it. Among them are Sonu Sood, Arjun Kapoor, Malaika Arora, Rakul Preet Singh, Leander Paes, and Sonali Bendre. Sania Mirza has been with the team for the last three years and this would be her fourth year supporting Bengaluru. Leander Paes also has been associated since the beginning of this league and makes sure he is there for all the matches.
Expressing his enthusiasm for the venture, APL Apollo Tubes Ltd CMD Sanjay Gupta. said, “This is a great opportunity for our company to associate with the spirit of sports that teaches us the most valuable lessons in life. We look forward to this association with Bengaluru Spartans which is Bengaluru SG Mavericks now and wish each player ahead of the trailblazing contest to be held in December this year. It is an also amazing start with this league sport that has been gaining more and more popularity in India. It will be great to witness that the new talent will rub shoulders with some of the most versatile tennis players in the world Overall, it is a great moment to associate the name of the brand with a sport that is popular worldwide.”
Bengaluru SG Mavericks brand ambassador Sania Mirza said, “I am thrilled to be a part of this exciting venture and obliged to SG Sports for choosing me as their brand ambassador. As a former tennis player and woman, I feel that India has a lot of potential in terms of sports and tennis has seen more and more interest from our young generation recently. Still, there are miles to go before we shine on the world stage in this sport and Tennis Premier League provides a brilliant opportunity for young and upcoming players to prove their mettle on the court. SG Sports is doing a great job in supporting such budding players and giving them an ideal platform where they can compete with top players and learn from their skills.”
The other participating teams in TPL 2023 include the Bengal Wizards, Mumbai Leon Army, Punjab Tigers, Pune Jaguars, Bengaluru Spartans, Delhi Binny’s Brigade, Hyderabad Strikers, and Gujarat Panthers. Pertinent to mention here that Indian tennis legend Leander Paes has recently announced his acquisition of a stake in the Bengal franchise.
As far as the TPL format is concerned, it has eight franchises that will play a total of five matches to qualify for the semi-final. Each match between two franchises will have a total of 4 games (Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, Mixed Doubles and Men’s Doubles). Each match will be worth 20 points, thus there will be a total of 80 points at stake in each contest. Each team will play a total of 400 points (80 points x 5 matches) at the league stage. The top 4 teams in the points table will qualify for the semi-finals.
The Tennis Premier League (TPL), packages traditional tennis into a highly entertaining tournament to capture the imagination of fans. With an unorthodox format, it is set to be a tennis equivalent to the Indian Premier League and is returning for its fifth season this year. The league is poised to write yet another chapter in the annals of Indian tennis history, as fans eagerly await the start of TPL 2023. Sports outside of cricket are gaining more traction among Indian audiences. Tennis has a sizeable following in India, with close to 100 million viewers that watched the sport on TV last year.
