Colors acquires rights to air Box Cricket League (BCL)

Viacom18, along with Balaji Telefilms and Marinating Films, will put together the new season of the Box Cricket League (BCL). The sports reality show which had its previous season showcased on the MSM network, will have a line-up of over 200 top celebrities and will be telecast on Colors and Colors HD from February 28 2016, every Sunday at 4.30 pm, with a repeat telecast on Rishtey.

The cricket league will have 10 teams named after 10 cities namely Ahmedabad Express, Kolkata Babu Moshayes, Chandigarh Cubs, Delhi Dragons, Jaipur Raj Joshiley, Chennai Swaggers, Mumbai Tigers, Pune Anmol Ratan, Rowdy Bangalore and Lucknow Nawabs led by mainly television personalities. These include Sunny Leone, Nandish Sandhu, Ajay Chaudhry, Mrunal Jain, Anita Hassandani, Kamya Punjabi among others.

Speaking about the association, Raj Nayak, chief executive officer, Colors, says, "Colors is always known for its out-of-the- box thinking, but this time we've literally got a fabulous game within a box," he says. Box Cricket League adds to the enthusiasm as it brings together the biggest faces across channels uniting the TV fraternity over a game of cricket. With BCL, we aim to give cricket an exceptional spin and make it likeable to each and every member of the family. We are happy to associate with Balaji Telefilms and Marinating Films as the broadcasting partner for this venture and give our viewers robust content and wholesome entertainment."

Commenting on the concept, Ekta Kapoor, joint managing director, Balaji Telefilms, says, "BCL is a grand extravaganza where television's biggest stars come together to play the most popular sport in the country. But, this time, it's cricket with a twist. BCL is a reality show that has all the ingredients of a television drama -- be it loving, loathing, bonding or sledging. With Box Cricket League, we present to our viewers an array of their favourite bahus playing alongside their male counterparts, on the field."

An official statement says, "With a huge number of television stars vying to play this season of BCL, the league owners have set new guidelines for player qualifications. The strict dictate ensures only top lead actors partake in this season, those who've starred as main leads for a minimum of 250 episodes, and second lead actors, who've had at least 500 episodes to their credit. Besides popular fiction faces, GEC reality show winners and top contestants are also qualified to play. The new player mandates have therefore caused a lot of heartburn for those actors who were hoping to get on the field."

Box Cricket League is an on-ground property in which television and Bollywood stars battle 'off-sides' and 'run-outs'. The championship will be played under two groups, A and B, and each group will include five teams competing with each other. An official statement says, "Along with the on-ground drama, the viewers will also get some scoop straight from the locker room, strategy sessions and dugouts."