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Cricket is much more than politics now seen in Tamil Nadu and Chennai, Kumara Sangakkara, captain of Sunrisers and Sri Lankan wicket-keeper batsman cricketer, said.
Sunrisers, the Hyderabad franchisee of Sun TV networks taking part in the Indian Premier League, is gearing up for an exciting season ahead.
"The spirit of sport and cricket cannot be curtailed because India is much more than Chennai. The build up has been different this time. It has been difficult for Sri Lankan players because politics has restricted our presence," he said.
On former Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Rantunga’s appeal urging its payers to pull out of the IPL, Sangakkara said, "It is not about a nation versus nation issue here and it is not dictated by foreign policy."
Addressing a press conference here at a meeting hosted by MakeMyTrip.com, he said, "With Dale Steyn and Ishant Sharma sharing opening overs, we will make an impact. We missed Ishant last time. He did well against Australia in the recent series," he said.
However, the team will be without couple of players, including Shikar Dawan due to injury.
MakeMYTrip.com
Deep Kalra, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, MakeMyTrip.com, said, "I hope Sunrisers become the surprisers. It is our first foray into sponsorship of this kind, because cricket gets the whole country going."
Refraining to comment on financial commitment for sponsorship, he said a new campaign to coincide with the excitement of the IPL will be launched soon.
He said, "Accommodation is one of the biggest concern areas for any traveller. Today we are proud to extend our brand–promise to ‘Hotels Unlimited’ by offering widest range of hotels with best deals in India."
The company’s two new offerings of money-back guarantee and last minute online hotel deals are targeted at building customer confidence, he said
During IPL games, air travel and holidaying gains momentum. In the past IPL seasons, there has been a spurt of over 10 per cent in travel. When two matches are held at a venue within couple of days, people tend to take a holiday break, he said.
>rishikumar.vundi@thehindu.co.in
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