M.S. Dhoni spearheads Vijay TV’s Chennai super kings talent hunt

A warm Sunday afternoon as the Indian Cricket team was checking into Taj Coromandel, Chennai; a small crew of technicians and excited cameramen occupied the presidential suite on the 7th floor.

In walked lazily the Indian Cricket team and Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni clad in the CSK team jersey and amidst much frenzy rattled off the following lines “Dhoni.. MS Dhoni… Chennai Super kings Jr yaar? Namma Vijay TV paar ” in typical Tamil filmi style and a signature hand gesture to go along with it.

It was the promo shoot for the launch of two new shows Chennai Super Kings Juniors and Chennai Super Kings Cheerleaders. A masterstroke by STAR’s Tamil channel Vijay TV to capitalize on the much awaited IPL season and the cricket crazy public of Tamilnadu. These soon to be launched shows are sure shot winners given the attention that cricketers and cricket and especially the super stardom that Dhoni can rope in.

But Dhoni isn’t alone , the other CSK team members like V.B.Chandrasekar, Badrinath, L.Balaji, Krishnamachari Srikanth and the leader of the bandwagon Drums Sivamani are to adorn the screens on Vijay TV.

Rakesh Singh Head Marketing India Cements says “the first season of IPL was a roaring success and the Chennai Super Kings reached the finals. We wanted a television partner with whom we could associate and take this great brand to the roots of Tamilnadu. And what better channel than STAR Vijay, an innovator in the market. They approached us with these two brilliant concepts which will popularize the brand.”

The Chennai Super Kings team is incomplete without its cheerleaders; and who better than the very own boys and girls of Chennai to add the local flavor to the celebrations. The Chennai Super kings are on the prowl for their cheerleaders. This 10 episode series will test a number of boys and girls on their dancing skills and cheering routines over a series of competitive rounds. The teams contesting in the grand finale will get to perform to the beats of the drummer Sivamani. The selected team will be given the honor of cheering the Chennai Super Kings in every IPL match and also recognized as the official cheerleaders. The show launches on February 20th ; airing Fridays at 10pm

The hunt for the junior team of the Chennai Super Kings commences February 21st. The show spanning over 20 episodes will have auditions at Chennai, Coimbatore and Trichy in early February, 2009. Kids between 8-12 yrs of age with basic skills of the game are eligible to audition. The winning 11 will be recognized as the Chennai Super Kings Juniors; and will get to watch all the matches of the team in Chennai sitting at the Pavilion. The top 3 contenders (i.e. the best bowler, best batsman and best all rounder) will get an exclusive opportunity to be present with the CSK team at their nets practice and will also get the once in a lifetime chance to travel with the team to any one of the other IPL matches. The show promises to be a treat for Cricket lovers; with the CSK team members walking in to encourage and train the kids. This one hour show is planned to air on weekends; Saturday & Sunday at 7pm.

“This is the first time that a GEC has tie-up with a sporting event like the IPL; a great strategy to capitalize on the brand and generate viewership” says Uday Shankar, CEO, STAR India.

K.Sriram, General Manager, Vijay TV adds “we are sure that we will put our best foot forward in making this content interesting to both the cricket lovers and the general audiences. This show will portray the aspirations of kids and their passion for the game striking a chord with the families as well. The show will surely generate interest of advertisers both in the national and retail markets”