Sports stars come together to empower human ambitions in marquee street cricket competition
by Suman Gupta
- Teams have been selected from more than 12,00 entries that registered nationally in the Muthoot Blue League of Dreams and a voting process that saw 600,000 votes come in for the shorlisting process
- The initiative celebrates and salutes the spirit of these teams that have overcome adveristies & challenges to keep their passion for cricket alive
May 16th, 2018: The Muthoot Blue League of Dreams, a nation-wide sporting initiative organised by Muthoot Pappachan Group (MPG) to fulfill the extraordinary dreams of the ordinary people on the street, reaches a crescendo, with teams playing off alongside Brett Lee, Jonty Rhodes, Zaheer Khan and Herschelle Gibbs in Mumbai at the Air India Kalina grounds. A rigorous selection process brought out the best of over a 1,200 registrations that the competition received across the nation. While Tamil Nadu had more than 400 registrations, Andhra Pradesh saw over 180 registrations, followed by Kerala at 88, Rajasthan and Maharashtra both at 47, and a close call between Delhi and UP at 44 and 43.
The final four teams were shortlisted basis their passionate stories which they shared along at the time of registration along with their zeal for the game which got them unbeliveable votes from people across the nation. The voting took place from 29th April till 6th May and post this amongst the over 1,200 registration’s, the final four teams were selected, basis a broad-spectrum selection matrix.
About the teams
Delhi Cricket Council (Noida)
A bunch of 30-year old working professionals who re-discovered their passion for fitness via cricket. Now, they want to take this message to the rest of the world.
With players aged between 22-41, they have Herschelle Gibbs part of their team. This team has got over 58,000 votes. The unique part of the team is the diversity in age & profession, however, at the same time, it’s the “zeal to play” that binds the team together. The team started with 5 members which currently grew to around 50+ member team.
Spartanz (Kottayam)
A team named after their deceased Captain’s favourite word. Every time they take the field, it is meant as a tribute to their Captian, who loved the game of cricket.
With players aged between 22-32, the team has Zaheer Khan as part of their team and have entered the League of Dreams with over 58,000 votes. Each member of the team has a strong passion towards cricket.
Young Mumbai Central Cricket Team (Mumbai)
A team so passionate about the game that once they even mortgaged their phones in order to get money for entering a tournament. Goes without saying, they won!
This team received over 65000 votes and will be playing along with Brett Lee. The team with players aged between 21-40 years comes with a unparalled dedication towards the game. They aimed to enter the League of Dreams and through their passion for their game, they want to win the game.
Ukkadgaon C.C. (Parbhani)
A team from the heart of Maharashtra, whose players have never ever played with a proper bat, due to financial constraints. They are now determined to prove that village folk are just as talented, and get their village in the limelight.
They made their place in the Muthoot Blue League of Dreams with over 40,000 votes and will be playing along with Jonty Rhodes. The team, district champion, has young players in the age group of 21-23. Their strength lies with fast bowlers and hard hitters. They want to play with these celebrity stars and learn to improve their game.
Mr. Thomas John Muthoot, Chairman & Managing Director of the Muthoot Pappachan Group, on the occasion said, “We are glad we have been able to make a small difference in the lives of each member of the four teams who will be playing today at The Muthoot Blue League of Dreams. We wish them good-luck for a fantastic game over the two daysy.” At Muthoot Pappachan Group, our single minded focus has been to serve the community, customers specially at the bottom of the pyramid and touch their lives in a meaningful way. Muthoot Blue League of Dreams is a true manifestation of our credo: Empowering Human Ambitions. We at Muthoot Pappachan Group set out with an endeavour to make extradordinary dreams of ordinary people, move towards frutition. The overwhelming response and the passion displayed by the teams and their friends & families, in the first edition itself makes us believe that our efforts are in the right direction.
Mr. Sanjeev Shukla, Chief Marketing Officer, Muthoot Pappachan Group, further added, “The game of cricket unites us as a nation. Over 1,200 team registrations and over 6,00,000 votes, in the very first edition of the League, is indeed a reflection of people recognising and seizing the opportunity to see their dreams come alive through The Muthoot Blue League of Dreams. Our focus on connecting with our consumers and our belief that we have been able to touch an emotional chord with this initaive is endorsed through the overwhelming response we have received.. The Muthoot Blue League has just helped us bring the dreams of the final teams closer to reality who are all geared up for a exciting 2 day playoff. Their grit, passion and determination has got them this far and it is these traits that we celebrate via the League. The playoffs are therefore not just a game of cricket, but a celebration of their undying spirit and struggles that these boys conquer every single day of their lives.”.
The final winning team will take home along with the Trophy, a cheque of INR One Lac with the runners up getting a cheque of INR Fifty Thousand. More than the money and medals, each member of these four teams are going to take back the learning and memories of playing with their celebrity cricket stars.
About Muthoot Pappachan Group : Muthoot Pappachan Group (MPG), a reputed business conglomerate has been providing solutions, services and expertise to millions of customers across the country in various domains like financial services, two-wheeler finance, micro-finance, affordable housing finance,chits, health, life & general insurance, precious metals, automotive, realty, hospitality, IT- businesses and varied CSR-initiatives. Over the years, Muthoot Pappachan Group has grown to become a significant entity in the Indian business landscape. Group’s customer-centric approach and innovation in terms of new products that cater to changing customer needs, have helped in gaining the loyalty of innumerable customers, as well as attracting new ones. With the credo of ‘Empowering Human Ambitions’ at its core, the Group adopts the latest technology and products & services innovations, towards catering to the needs of customers, based on deep understanding of the customers wants & desires, coupled with an uncompromising stand on values, principles and ethics.
About Muthoot Fincorp Ltd. : Muthoot Fincorp Ltd., the flagship company of Muthoot Pappachan Group, is one of the leading NBFCs in India with over 3500 retail branches, pan India. Muthoot Fincorp is a provider of products and services in the form of secured and unsecured loans to the middle and low-income customers. Decades of customer centricity, dedicated research and experience with the customers and their families have enabled the Company to provide quick and customized financing options and investment schemes for millions of customers. Muthoot Fincorp is one amongst the largest Gold Loan companies in India. At the same time the company has a diverse mix of retail offerings catering to the various needs of its customers including MSME Loan products, Housing Loan, Auto Loan, Money Transfer, Foreign Exchange, Insurance Services, Wealth Management Services and Travel related services.
