Rajasthan Royals launch India's cricket talent hunt for both men, women

Mumbai, Dec 22 (IANS) Royals Sports Group-owned franchise Rajasthan Royals and COLORS on Thursday announced the launch of their brand-new cricket reality show, 'Cricket Ka Ticket'.

Tipped to be India's largest cricketing hunt for both men and women, 'Cricket Ka Ticket' will serve as an opportunity to reignite the dreams of millions of Indians to build a career in cricket and make it to the biggest stage -- with the prospect of a professional career in cricket awaiting the winners!

Inspired by India's affinity towards multiple reality shows, this one-of-a-kind talent hunt aims to attract aspiring cricketers from all parts of India, giving them a platform to showcase their skills, and preparing them to become fine athletes. The entire talent hunt will be broken down into four phases, documenting what goes on behind-the-scenes, when passionate individuals combine their desire to excel with the right execution on and off the field. The whole journey of these contestants, right from the trials all the way to the grand finale, will be showcased.

The show will be available to watch for cricket fans around the world on Viacom18's flagship Hindi entertainment channel COLORS and OTT platform Voot, and as the sport's only reality TV show during the 2023 T20 cricket season, this will add to the buzz! The call for entries begins from 22nd December with COLORS launching the promotional campaign and kicking off phase one.

Manoj Badale, Lead Owner, Rajasthan Royals, expressed his excitement on the partnership, saying, "Our association with unearthing young talent goes back to 2006 with our show Cricket Star. We are delighted to be rejuvenating this unique concept to allow the best cricketing talent from across the country the chance to make their dreams come true. We have always stood for identifying talent and championing dreams, since the inception of our franchise in 2008, and our hope is to reignite the dreams of millions of Indians to follow their passion and give a shot at winning this 'Cricket Ka Ticket'," he said.

The show begins with Phase 1 comprising digital registrations on the CricHeroes App which will be running for three weeks, wherein participants above 18 years of age can submit their performance videos. Phase 2 will involve nationwide on-ground trials for players shortlisted from Phase 1, and will be spread across multiple cities. A panel of experts will then shortlist the best male and female participants for the next round.

This will be followed by Phase 3, with the shortlisted contestants moving to the Royals' High-Performance Centre in Nagpur, where they will live together and compete in different challenges every week - being tested on both their mental and physical abilities. In parallel, they will also get an opportunity to interact and learn from the likes of Kumar Sangakarra, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravichandran Ashwin, Sanju Samson and many more. Participants will be judged by a renowned panel of judges from the sports and entertainment industry, and the show will follow an elimination process based on the judges' ratings.

In the final phase, the contestants will travel to the Rajasthan Royals' home city of Jaipur - where they will get an opportunity to play against professional teams, interact with the Royals players, and experience the thrill of a T20 cricket season from close quarters.

One male winner and one female winner will be awarded a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh each, along with a one-year development program which includes mentoring and coaching support from the Royals coaches, mentors, and players. The most exciting prospect for the winners will come in terms of having a chance to be a part of the cricket ecosystem as the male winner will win a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to appear for trials at Rajasthan Royals. Whereas, for the female contestant who bags the 'Cricket Ka Ticket', there will be an opportunity to get major trial opportunities with assistance from the Royals management, given the pending arrival of the domestic T20 women's competition.