By IANS
Mohali (Punjab) : Indian television’s “saas-bahu” and other soap operas have competition – from cricket. The Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 cricket tournament is targeting women to come and watch the truncated version of the game.
“When we launch our ticket sales here Friday, I want maximum number of women to buy them. We will put up interesting games before our audiences, especially women,” Priety Zinta, owner of the Mohali IPL team Kings XI Punjab and Bollywood actress, told reporters here Wednesday.
“Recent surveys done by the BCCI (Board of control for Cricket in India) have indicated a 70 percent increase in TRP ratings for T20 cricket match telecasts after India’s victory in the T-20 World Cup. Women have certainly found this format of the game entertaining,” ICC principal adviser-designate Inderjit Singh Bindra said.
“The IPL will be a big success and it will surely wean away women from the ‘Saas-Bahu’ serials. Women, who earlier did not to spare a whole day watching cricket, are showing great interest now. It will be a complete entertainment package for families and for those who are not great fans of the sport,” Zinta said.
Bindra and Zinta hoped for a good turnout in all IPL matches to be played here and other centres in the country. The IPL tournament gets underway April 18.