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TA L K
I T ’ S H O P E D A F R E S H A P P R O A C H W I L L
AT T R A C T N E W S P E C TAT O R S A C R O S S I N D I A
weekend. The Iscon Hemvijay Stallions,
comprising HH Maharaja Singh, Hendrix and
Suhag, beat the IPCL Immortals, led by the
crowd’s favourite Ali, to win the tournament.
Celebrities from Bollywood and showbiz,
including Kriti Sanon, Sunny Leone, Lauren
Gottlieb, Harshvardhan Kapoor, Shefali
Alvares and the superstar Saif Ali Khan,
performed to enthralled audiences. Being
the Nawab of Bhopal and Pataudi, Khan not
only belongs to a legendary polo-playing
family, he is also the brand ambassador of
the Champions Polo League.
Players taking part in the league will
be ranked by their star rating, awarded by
a committee made up of leading players
from across the globe and chaired by the
Argentinian Pepe Araya. They will be rated
from one to five, gauged by their skills,
horsemanship, team play, stick work, ball
control and so on. Each team will comprise
one 3-star foreign pro, one 3-star Indian pro,
one 2-star semi pro and two 1-star novices.
Schedule two includes a power chukka,
in which only two of the three main players
can play, and a talent chukka in which it will
be mandatory for the team to play
the polo novices.
Entertainment and hospitality will
include performances by various artists,
celebrity appearances, cheerleaders,
vintage cars, fashion shows, live DJs,
innovative acts, luxury shopping
boutiques, food courts, hospitality lounges,
royal boxes, purple-carpet arrivals and
grand after-parties.
With a smaller arena, faster and
high adrenaline gameplay, aspirational
audiences and participation from top
Indian and international players, the
new Champions Polo League is set
to be the perfect blend of enthralling
sport, entertainment and glamour.
Opposite
: Leroux Hendriks of Iscon Hemvijay
team going to goal.
This page, top from left:
Samir Suhag, Leroux Hendriks,
Chirag Parekh, HH Maharaja Sawai
Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur.
Bottom, from left:
Vikram Rathore, Maharaj Narendra Singh,
Yuvraj Vrishank Singh of Santrampur,
Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur,
Maharaja Gaj Singh of Jodhpur and
Rajmata Padmini Devi of Jaipur