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Chennai Super Kings registers Rs 32.12 crore profit for FY22

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Chennai Super Kings Cricket Ltd, the company which owns the famous Chennai Super Kings (CSK) franchise in the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL), has closed last fiscal with a profit of Rs. 32.12 crore on a revenue of Rs 349.14 crore.

During the FY21, the company had earned a total income of Rs 253.69 crore and a net profit of Rs 40.26 crore.

As per the company’s annual report, the company’s total income went up as the CSK won the IPL title while the net profit came down owing to higher expenses. Notably, the 2021 IPL Season, which was held in India and was cancelled midway in 2021 due to Covid spread, was forcefully shifted to United Arab Emirates (UAE) later resulting in higher expenditure, the company said.

Last fiscal, Chennai Super Kings Cricket Ltd floated a wholly-owned subsidiary Superking Ventures Private Ltd (SVPL).

Significantly, CSK in one of the most successful teams in the IPL history after winning the trophy in 2010, 2011, 2018 and 2021.

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RCB names Sanjay Bangar as head coach for IPL 2022

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Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have named former India cricketer Sanjay Bangar as its head coach for the next season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

After the announcement, Bangar will take over the mantle of coaching the side from Mike Hesson.

Hesson meanwhile, will remain with the RCB franchise as Director of Cricket Operations. Hesson, the former New Zealand coach, had taken over the additional role of head coach for the recently concluded UAE leg of IPL 2021.

Bangar has played 12 Tests and 15 ODIs for India.

He had earlier been associated with coaching roles with multiple set-ups in the cash-rich league. In 2010, he was the batting coach of Kochi Tuskers before being named as the assistant coach of Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) for the 2014 IPL season.

It was under Bangar when KXIP had registered their best-ever show in the lucrative league, finshing as the 2014 season’s runners-up.

In 2021, Bangar was appointed as RCB’s batting consultant.

Commenting on the development, Prathmesh Mishra, Chairman, Royal Challengers Bangalore, in a statement said: “RCB has been committed to its philosophy of supporting and grooming talents from within the team and appointing Sanjay Bangar is the reflection of that belief. Sanjay Bangar has been part of our support staff as a batting consultant and brings a wealth of experience, both as a player and batting coach, having worked extensively with the Indian cricket team.”

“Sanjay has been chosen to be the head coach following a rigorous and robust selection procedure. We are confident that he will be able to bring his experience to the fore and maximize the potential of the squad. I congratulate Sanjay on this appointment and wish him all the best as we embark on this new chapter,” he added.

On the other hand, Bangar said it was an honor for him to work with the Bangalore-based franchise.

“It’s an honor and great opportunity to serve such a great franchise in the capacity of Head Coach. I have worked with some exceptional and talented members in the squad and can’t wait to take this team to the next level. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done with the IPL Mega Auctions and the season following it, but I’m sure that together with the continued support of the management and the support staff, we can deliver the goods and bring cheer to our fans across the globe,” he said in a statement.

Apart from IPL, Bangar had also served the India team in different coaching roles – batting coach, assistant coach, alongside being head coach of the Indian team that toured Zimbabwe in June 2016.

RCB had finished the 2021 season at the third place and had registered nine wins from 14 games.

After making to the playoffs of the 2021 season, the Virat Kohli-led RCB went down against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Eliminator.

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No CSK without MS Dhoni: N Srinivasan

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Former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president and India Cements Ltd (ICL) vice-chairman N Srinivasan has emphatically said that there is no Chennai Super Kings (CSK) without their current skipper MS Dhoni.

Recently under the captaincy of Dhoni, the Yellow Brigade lifted their fourth IPL trophy after the side defeated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 27 runs in the final of the 2021 season in Dubai.

Showering praise on Dhoni, Srinivasan told reporters: “It was a remarkable win. It puts Chennai on top of the world.”

When asked about Dhoni’s future with CSK, he said: “Dhoni is part and parcel of CSK. There is no CSK without Dhoni and there is no Dhoni without CSK.”

Recently, Dhoni had hinted that he will play the next season of the IPL while his franchise had reportedly said that a decision on whether to retain the talismanic skipper will be taken only after knowing the rules of the system.

The BCCI is yet to lay down the retention rules as two more teams are set to be added in the 2022 edition of the cash-rich league.

Earlier after winning his fourth IPL trophy for the Yellow Brigade, Dhoni had said that he hadn’t decided how he would fit into the retention scheme of things.

“Again I’ve said it before, it depends on the BCCI. With two new teams coming in, we have to decide what is good for CSK,” Dhoni said after CSK defeated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 27 runs in the summit clash of IPL 2021 on Friday.

“It’s not about me being there in the top-three or four. It’s about making a strong core to ensure the franchise doesn’t suffer. The core group, we have to have a hard look to see who can contribute for the next 10 years,” he had said.

Earlier, a CSK official had said that although they were not aware of the retention rules however, if it is followed in the next auction, the franchise will use it for Dhoni.

Earlier on october 5, Dhoni had hinted that he will play for the Yellow Brigade for at least one more IPL season by saying that his fans can see him play a ‘farewell game’ in Chennai next year.

Dhoni, 40, in an event celebrating 75 years of India Cements, said that he hopes to play his last match in Chennai.

“When it comes to farewell, you can still come and see me play for CSK and that can be my farewell game. So, you will still get that opportunity to bid me farewell. Hopefully, we will come to Chennai and play my last game over there and we can meet the fans there,” Dhoni said while interacting with fans during the virtual event.

Under Dhoni, CSK has made to nine IPL finals in the 12 seasons they had featured so far in the history of the lucrative league.

The team under Dhoni had first won the coveted trophy in the year 2010 before winning it again in 2011, 2018 and 2021.

CSK also has the highest win percentage of matches among all teams in the IPL which is  59.83 percent. The Yellow Brigade also hold the records of most appearances in the IPL playoffs as they have made it to eleven times from 12.

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TV Ad volume of IPL 2021 registers rise of six percent

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The 14th edition of the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) concluded on October 15 which saw the MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) winning its fouth title after defeating two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 27 runs in the summit clash in Dubai.

Although the viewership data for the second phase of the tournament is yet to be released, it has been learnt that the ad volume numbers has performed well for the broadcaster.

As per the TAM Sports-IPL 14 Advertising Report based on IPL 13 and IPL 14, the advertising volumes on TV in the 51 matches of the just concluded season grew by six percent compared to the last season, which was completely staged out in the UAE.

Meanwhile, reports suggest that although the tally of advertisers grew by 10%, the numbers of brands registered a decline by 2% in IPL 14 when compared to the last season.

As per reports, IPL 13 and 14 witnessed similar categories coming on board.

While the 2021 season witnessed more than 120 advertisers as compared with 110 in the 2020 season but on the other hand, the league saw over 225 brands this year, which are slightly less as compared to the last season.

Reports further said that while ecom-education was at the top category in IPL 14, smart phones topped the list during IPL 2020.

Significantly during 51 matches of the just concluded season, the top five categories collectively contributed more than 36% of overall ad volumes.

Dream11.com and Phonepe were among the top five brands and both were common in the IPL 14 and IPL 13 season.

While Dream 11 recorded the highest share of 6% of the total advertising volume, which was one percent more compared to previous season, PhonePe share declined by a percent.

The report also stated that more than 30 new categories appeared during 51 matches of IPL 14 season, compared to the last one. In th list of new categories, Securities/Sharebroking Organization topped the list.

It is expected that the figures will register further increase as two more teams will be added, which will increase the number of matches and all the other opportunities as well.

In September, Star India network had said that it was on track to breach the 400 million viewers’ mark on TV, for the fourth year in a row.

The marquee tournament had till then garnered 380 million viewers until match #35, 12* million higher than IPL 2020 at the same stage. The TV viewer aggregation is in fact higher than the last three editions of the tournament, since 2018.

“We are proud to have delivered IPL to over 380 million viewers for the fourth time in a row. The last two occasions have been special as we navigated unprecedented circumstances and overcame challenges in bringing IPL to fans in the comfort of their homes. The business end of the IPL always generates a great deal of anticipation among fans that we captured in our campaign, #AsliPictureAbhiBaakiHai,” a Star Sports Spokesperson had said.

The success of VIVO IPL can be attributed to Star India’s strategy of regionalisation and customer segmentation, whereby the tournament is presented in 8 different languages to cater to viewers in different states & regions and two additional customised match-feeds to cater to specific consumer segments (Select Dugout which reaches out to core cricket fans and cricket aficionados presented by some of the top T20 experts or the newly introduced Hotstar Dosts feed on Disney+ Hotstar which is a light-hearted take on the match presented by a combination of stand-up comics and guest commentators).

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CSK to take call on Dhoni after knowing retention rules

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Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni has hinted that he will play the next season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and his franchise has now reportedly said that a decision on whether to retain the talismanic skipper will be taken only after knowing the rules of the system.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to lay down the retention rules as two more teams are set to be added in the 2022 edition of the cash-rich league.

Earlier after winning his fourth IPL trophy for the Yellow Brigade, Dhoni had said that he hadn’t decided how he would fit into the retention scheme of things.

“Again I’ve said it before, it depends on the BCCI. With two new teams coming in, we have to decide what is good for CSK,” Dhoni said after CSK defeated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 27 runs in the summit clash of IPL 2021 on Friday.

“It’s not about me being there in the top-three or four. It’s about making a strong core to ensure the franchise doesn’t suffer. The core group, we have to have a hard look to see who can contribute for the next 10 years,” he had said.

Earlier, a CSK official had said that although they were not aware of the retention rules however, if it is followed in the next auction, the franchise will use it for Dhoni.

Earlier on october 5, Dhoni had hinted that he will play for the Yellow Brigade for at least one more IPL season by saying that his fans can see him play a ‘farewell game’ in Chennai next year.

Dhoni, 40, in an event celebrating 75 years of India Cements, said that he hopes to play his last match in Chennai.

“When it comes to farewell, you can still come and see me play for CSK and that can be my farewell game. So, you will still get that opportunity to bid me farewell. Hopefully, we will come to Chennai and play my last game over there and we can meet the fans there,” Dhoni said while interacting with fans during the virtual event.

Under Dhoni, CSK has made to nine IPL finals in the 12 seasons they had featured so far in the history of the lucrative league.

The Yellow Brigade has now won four IPL titles.

They had first won the coveted trophy in the year 2010 before winning it again in 2011, 2018 and 2021.

CSK also has the highest win percentage of matches among all teams in the IPL which is  59.83 percent. The Yellow Brigade also hold the records of most appearances in the IPL playoffs as they have made it to eleven times from 12.

The team under Dhoni had also won the Champions League Twenty20 tournament in 2010 and 2014.

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IPL 2021: Dinesh Karthik reprimanded for breach of IPL Code of Conduct

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Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik has been reprimanded for breaching the Indian Premier League (IPL) code of conduct during his team’s Qualifier 2 match against Delhi Capitals in Sharjah.

Karthik was accused of breaching Level 1 offence 2.2 of the IPL’s code of conduct, the league said in a statement.

Level 1 offence 2.2 relates to “Abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during a Match”.

According to the IPL statement, Karthik admitted to his offense and accepted the sanction.

“Dinesh Karthik, the Kolkata Knight Riders wicketkeeper-batsman, has been reprimanded for breaching the VIVO Indian Premier League’s (IPL) Code of Conduct during his team’s Qualifier 2 against Delhi Capitals at Sharjah on Wednesday 13th October 2021. Mr Karthik admitted to the Level 1 offence 2.2 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct and accepted the sanction,” the league’s statement said.

According to the IPL, tor Level 1 breach of the Code of Conduct, the Match Referee’s decision is final and binding.

The IPL decision came a few hours after Qualifier 2 in which KKR held their nerves to defeat Delhi Capitals to reach the final of the ongoing season.

Earlier on Wednesday, Venkatesh Iyer’s valuable half-century (55 off 41) helped KKR beat Delhi Capitals by three wickets in a thrilling Qualifier 2 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Prior to that, spme clinical bowling by KKR helped them restrict Delhi Capitals to 135/5 in 20 overs.

For Delhi, opener Shikhar Dhawan (36), Shreyas Iyer (30*) were the top-scorers while Varun Chakravarthy (2/26) was the most successful bowler for KKR.

Chasing a total of 136 runs for victory, Iyer slammed his third fifty of the season while Gill and Nitish Rana also made important contributions of 46 and 13 respectively to help the team reach close to the finish line.

Two-time champions KKR will now face the MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the summit clash of the 14th edition at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai on Friday.

The CSK had earlier, defeated Delhi Capitals in the first qualifier on Sunday to enter their ninth IPL final.

CSK are three-time champions of the cash-rich league and are one of the most successful side in the history of the tournament.

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RCB release Hasaranga & Chameera from team bubble

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The Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Monday released the Sri Lankan duo of all-rounders Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera from the team’s bio-bubble.

After being released, both Hasaranga and Chameera will join their national squad ahead of its Round 1 matches in the men’s T20 World Cup, starting from October 17.

The development also means that Hasaranga and Chameera will not be available for selection in Monday’s Eliminator match against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Sharjah.

“Wanindu Hasaranga & Dushmantha Chameera have been released from the RCB bio bubble as they join up with the SL team for their #WT20 qualifiers. We wish both of them the best & thank them for their professionalism & hard work during #IPL2021,” said a tweet by the franchise on Monday.

Earlier, the Lankan duo of Hasaranga and Chameera were signed in as replacement players ahead of the second half of IPL 2021 in place of Australian duo Adam Zampa and Daniel Sams.

While, Hasaranga played two matches for the franchise but ended up with no wickets and could only manage one run with the bat, Chameera didn’t played a signle game for the RCB in the league stage.

Earlier on Sunday, Hasaranga had thanked the franchise for handing him the experience of playing in the IPL.

“Here’s saying a heartfelt thank you and wishing my family/team mates at @royalchallengersbangalore all the best for the playoffs. This is probably the year we win it all. This experience has been amazing, from team to management to everything. There is a strong bond of brotherhood and friendship we share here. I’m truly grateful for the opportunity. Go well RCB,” wrote Hasaranga on his Instagram account.

Hasaranga’s teammate in Bangalore, leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal commented on the post, saying ‘Good luck brotherman.’

In the upcoming T20 World Cup, Sri Lanka, the 2014 champions, are part of Group A alongside Namibia, the Netherlands and Ireland in Round 1 and will begin their campaign against Namibia on October 18 in Abu Dhabi.

The Kohli-led RCB had finished the IPL 2021 league stage at the third place after bagging 18 points in their kitty from 14 games.

Of the 14 games, the Bangalore-based franchise won nine games and lost five to finish a place ahaead of KKR.

KKR, on the other hand, had 14 points after the completion of the league stage as it had won seven games while lost the remaining seven.

While the RCB is yet to lift the coveted trophy, KKR had won the IPL twice in 2012 and 2014.

Both the sides will clash for one final time in the ongoing season in Sharjah on Monday evening. While the winner of the contest will move a step ahead towards the final, the loser will be eliminated from the tournament.

Monday’s winner will next face last year’s runners-up Delhi Capitals, which had gone down to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the first Qualifier on Sunday, at the Dubai International Cricket stadium in Dubai on Wednesday.

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IPL 2021: CSK sign Dominic Drakes as replacement for Sam Curran

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Three-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have signed Barbados all-rounder Dominic Drakes as a replacement for injured England all-rounder Sam Curran for the remainder of the ongoing 2021 season of the lucrative league.

Drakes, an uncapped West Indian all-rounder, has played one First-Class, 25 List A and 19 T20 matches in his career so far.

As per reports, Drakes, a left-handed batsman and a left-arm medium pacer, was already in the IPL bio-bubble as he was picked up by defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) as a net bowler.

Recently, Drakes, 23, starred with an unbeaten 48 off 24 balls to help his side St Kitts and Nevis Patriots win the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2021 title in September this year.

Meanwhile, he had also scalped 16 wickets to become the joint fourth-highest wicket taker in the tournament.

Currently, the MS Dhoni-led CSK is at the second place in the eight-team points table with 18 points in their kitty from 13 matches.

The Yellow Briage will next face Punjab Kings in their last league match of the 2021 season on Thursday at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai.

Earlier on Tuesday, Curran was ruled out of the remainder of the ongoing season as well as the upcoming T20 World Cup, the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had confirmed.

“He [Sam Curran] will fly back to the UK in the next couple of days and will have further scans and a full review later this week from the ECB’s medical team,” the ECB release stated.

Curran, 23, complained of pain in his back after the IPL fixture against Rajasthan Royals at Abu Dhabi last Saturday following which scans revealed the nature of his injury and ruled him out of the showpiece event, which will begin on October 17 in the UAE and Oman.

So far, Curran has featured in nine IPL games this IPL season for CSK. He scalped nine wickets at an economy of 9.93 beside scoring 56 runs from four innings.

Curran will now also miss the reminder of ongoing IPL season, CSK said on Twitter.

“Unfortunately I have received a gutting news that I will unfortunately be missing the remainder of the IPL season and the World Cup. Extremely gutted…absolutely loved my time with Chennai this season. The boys are doing extremely well. It hasn’t really sunk in yet but I’m leaving with the team in a fantastic space. The boys are playing really good cricket. I want to be supporting them from where I am in the next few days. Once it’s all sunk in, I’ll definitely be supporting the team and I’m sure they can go all the way and lift the trophy,” Curran told CSK.

“Just want to say a massive thank you to all the Chennai Super Kings fans, I’ve absolutely loved all your support in the last two seasons I’ve been playing. It won’t be long until I’m back running, bowling and batting in front of all you guys. I’ll be back stronger, until then stay safe. Cheers guys,” he added.

Commenting on Curran’s injury, CSK CEO KS Viswanathan said: “It’s really unfortunate that Curran won’t be available for the rest of the season due to a lower back injury. We wish him a speedy recovery and I’m sure he will emerge stronger from this.:

“BCCI has been informed about the injury,” he had added.

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Fantasy gaming apps suspend services in Karnataka

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Several fantasy gaming platforms like Mobile Premier League (MPL), Paytm First Games and RummyCircle have suspended their services for users in the state of Karnataka after the state legislation passed a law prohibiting money wagering and betting on Tuesday.

The law, passed as part of an amendment to the Karnataka Police Act, bans all forms of online gambling and betting platforms.

Even in apps like MPL, which have been ruled as ‘games of skill’ by several courts in India, the law passed in Karnataka prohibits money wagering and as per it, offenders will be subject to a maximum imprisonment of three years or a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh.

On Wednesday, MPL greeted its in Karnataka were greeted with the following message: “Sorry! The law in your state does not permit you to play Fantasy sports”.

Along with MPL, RummyCircle, Nazara’s HalaPlay and many other online gaming apps have updated their respective terms of service in Karnataka.

Although Dream11, one of India’s most popular gaming apps backed by Tiger Global, was still operational in Karnataka however, Paytm First Games was not.

Before Karnataka, states like Assam, Odisha, Nagaland, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana had already banned online gaming apps.

The move could be seen as a huge blow to online fantasy gaming platforms, which have spent a considerable amount of time and money in approaching several courts in India and have established the jurisprudence that their platforms relies on skill gaming rather than betting.

Moreover, the timing of the Karnataka law is unfortunate as it comes in the middle of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season, the time when such platforms registers high amount of activities and traction. Also, the IPL will soon be followed by the T20 World Cup.

As per reports, the online gaming industry is mulling to challenge the Karnataka government law, claiming that it goes against the jurisprudence established by multiple Indian courts, including the Supreme Court.

Earlier in August, the Supreme Court had upheld a verdict by the Rajasthan High Court, holding that Dream11 was a game of skill and not chance.

“Given the unique nature of fantasy sports, the FIFS [Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports] members urge the [Karnataka] government to respect and align with the judicial and constitutional protections provided to its business activities,” the industry body FIFS had said in a statement earlier.

Significantly, Dream11 is the founding member of FIFS, which also counts MPL as one of its members.

 

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Fire-Boltt ropes in Virat Kohli as new brand ambassador

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Fire-Boltt, one of the fastest growing Indian wearable brand,  has roped in India and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain and young India’s heartthrob Virat Kohli as its new brand ambassador.

The skipper will participate in different marketing, ad, and endorsement campaigns of the homegrown brand, which as per IDC is driving the Indian wearable market with unprecedented growth numbers. Both Fire-Boltt and Virat Kohli embody an exuberant-yet-strategic approach to emerge as winners, and this is what makes the collaboration a natural unison.

Commenting on the association, Fire-Boltt Co-Founder Arnav Kishore, said: “Virat Kohli is a role model for not just Indians but cricket lovers around the globe. His mention alone can inspire millions to chase their dreams and aspirations, and we decided to join hands with him in sync with our vision of an evolved lifestyle for all countrymen ushered in by lifestyle devices such as a smartwatch.”

“Just like a cellphone in every hand is a reality today, we want a smartwatch on every wrist in wake of the new normal. People need to keep a tab on their health even while on the go and there can be no better enabler than smartwatches,” he added.

The Indian cricket skipper too echoed the sentiments about the health concerns for people.

Referring to the collaboration, he said: “Fire-Bolttas a brand personifies energy, dynamism, and vibrancy, all of which has actually been a driving force in my sporting as well as a life journey. The fact that the company is at the helm of history being scripted in the Indian wearable space makes me proud as an advocate of Vocal for Local and Atmanirbhar Bharat.”

Interestingly, Fire-Boltt had a few months earlier brought on board Bollywood star Vicky Kaushalas its first brand ambassador. The company also recently announced its plans to go global in a big way, however, details of the same are yet to be unveiled.

Fire-Boltt is a wearable, gaming, and audio brand offering a bouquet of premium quality audio, fitness, and fashion products powered by cutting-edge technology. The wide array of products by Fire-Boltt includes Smartwatches, Bluetooth earphones, Bluetooth headphones, True Wireless Earbuds, Bluetooth speakers, Sound Bars, lifestyle shoes, etc.

Founded by two young and enthusiastic entrepreneurs Arnav Kishore and Aayushi Kishore, Fire-Boltt’s tech-powered products are among the bestsellers on offline as well as leading e-commerce platforms such as Amazon. The promoters have had a strong DNA of wearable technology for many years and their vision is to become a homegrown brand of recall in the wearables, gaming, and audio space.

Notably under Kohli, the RCB have entered the Playoff of the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and will next face Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi in their second last contest of the league stage on Wednesday.

Kohli has been in terrific form this season as he has amassed 357 runs from 12 games so far in the season. With a top score of 72 not out, he has averaged 32.45 and has slammed three half-centuries in the process.