The first season of the Celebrity Badminton League (CBL) 2016 is set to kick-start at regional sports center in Kochi on Saturday, September 24, with the first match between Kerala Royals and Tollywood Thunders.
The team members of Tollywood Thunders arrived in Kochi on Friday and was given a grand welcome by the Kerala team. "Thank You Kerala Royals for the Royal Welcome [sic]," Telugu team posted on their Facebook page.
Check live updates of Day 1 Match in Kochi
Kerala Royals, owned by entrepreneur Ranjit Karunakaran, will play the matches under the captaincy of actor Jayaram. The other members of the team include vice captain Narain, Sekhar Menon, Saiju Kurup, Sreenath Basi, Rajeev Pillai, Rony David Raj, Arjun Nandakumar, Baiju, Parvathy Nambiar, Ranjani Haridas and Rosin Jolly. Mamta Mohandas and Pearle Maaney are the brand ambassadors and team motivators, respectively of the team, which will be competing against Sudheer Babu-led Tollywood Thunders on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Telugu team owned by Nandini Vijay, Sagar Pentela, Dheeraj, has vice captain Tarun Kumar, Nikhil, Kaushal Manda, Anil, Krishna Chaitanya, Sathya Dev, Naveen, Tejasvi Madivada, Sanjana Galrani and Apoorva Srinivasan as players. With Naga Chaitanya being the brand ambassador of the team, Lakshmi Manchu and Charmme Kaur will motivate and support the actors.
Though the first season of CBL was scheduled to begin on September 18 in Chennai, the matches between Chennai and Bengaluru teams were postponed due to the ongoing Cauvery issue between the states. The organisers are yet to announce the new match schedules.
The league matches will have three major categories â€" Men's Doubles, Mixed Doubles and Women's Doubles that will happen in Kochi, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad. The finals will take place at Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia on November 12.
Kerala Royals Team
| Team Owner | Ranjit Karunakaran |
| Brand Ambassador | Mamta Mohandas |
| Team Motivator | Pearle Maaney |
| Team Captain | Jayaram |
| Vice Captain | Narain |
| Male Players | Baiju, Arjun Nandakumar, Saiju Kurup, Sekhar Menon, Rajeev Pillai, Sreenath Bhasi, Rony David |
| Female Players | Ranjini Haridas, Parvathi Nambiar, Rosin Jolly |
Tollywood Thunders Team
| Team Owners | Nandiniy Vijay, Sagar Pentela, Dheeraj |
| Brand Ambassador | Naga Chaitanya |
| Team Motivator | Lakshmi Manchu |
| Team Captain | Sudheer Babu |
| Vice Captain | Tarun Kumar |
| Team Supporter | Charmme Kaur |
| Male Players | Nikhil, Kaushal Manda, Anil, Krishna Chaitanya, Sathya Dev and Naveen |
| Female Players | Tejasvi Madivada, Sanjana Galrani and Apoorva Srinivasan |
CBL 2016 Match Schedule
| Sep-24-16 | Kochi | Regional Sports centre stadium â€" RSC |
| Oct-22-16 | Hyderabad | Gachibowli Indoor Stadium |
| Nov-12-16 | Finals â€" League / tournament & Awards - Kuala Lumpur | Stadium Negara |
Here is how Kerala Royals welcomed Tollywood Thunders:
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Watch the promo video of Kerala Royals and Tollywood Thunders here:
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