MUMBAI: Kabaddi, Football and now Tennis. India’s sports landscape is set to grow with the upcoming Champions Tennis League which will be telecast on Indian sports channel Sony Six. The league follows a pan-India city-based format and will take place from 17 November to 26 November 2014.

Commenting on the development Sony Six business head Prasana Krishnan said, “The format for CTL is tailor made for television. The short structure of the matches will ensure that audiences are entertained and engaged throughout the course of the tournament. Also, with the entry of CTL, the viewership for tennis in our country should finally extend beyond the Grand Slams and select ATP and WTA tournaments.”

The format of CTL lends itself to the taste of the Indian audience, who have been generally seen to enjoy watching fast-paced sports like the T20 cricket. Famous names like Mark Woodforde, Louise Pleming, Luke Jensen and Prakash Amritraj will be seen keeping the viewers engaged with thier witted and insightful commentry. The tournament will also feature after-match parties, fashion shows and interactions with the fans on the rest days; thereby acting as a ‘carnival of tennis’ for both fans and the general match-goers.

With CTL now, Six will see an added sports property to its portfolio such as the NBA, the FIFA, the Pepsi IPL and the Ultimate Fighting Championship etc. The inaugural season of the league will also be held in cities like Pune and Chandigarh, which have traditionally not been the bastions for the sport in the country. Teams will feature male and female players with international rankings and each of the six teams will also have an international legend as their playing captain, apart from a noted Indian male tennis player, plus a top ranked junior Indian girl and boy from each city.