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Tuesday, March 11

Kolkata Industries Two Thousand

The DLF Indian Premier League’s team names have been announced following the latest round of player-bidding. Some are more inventive than others (cf. The Mumbai Indians). Of note, Kolkata’s owner Shah Rukh Khan said he chose ‘Kolkata Knight Riders’ to “appeal to the youth”. I’m unsure which youth he’s referring to (especially since an alleged alternative was Kolkata Ninja Turtles) as most Knight Rider fans are…my age. And whilst 26 years old is considered young by most (YES IT IS), I’m fairly geriatric in comparison to India’s cricketing youth who are spotty teenagers still giddy on soda pop from winning the under-19 World Cup earlier this month.

I am desperately sorry I can’t bring you the full version of the Kolkata Knight Riders’ promotional video, because it’s genuinely cool. Here are two YouTubes that feature clips. Sadly the best bit is missing - where the Kolkata batsman follows the bowler’s little jig with some poppin’ and lockin’ at the crease.

So here is a team marketing itself using shaolin soccer-style kung-fu, b-boying, tigers (the mascot is called Hoog Lee), Knight Rider and they play in gold helmets and pads. My Bengali heritage is irrelevant, it’s clear which team I - and any child of the 80s - have to support.

The full line up:

Mumbai Indians
Bangalore Royal Challengers
Mohali
Chennai Super Kings
Delhi DareDevils
Kolkata Knight Riders
Hyderabad
Jaipur Rajasthan Royals

I will update this post as soon as I find the full promo film.

rohin on Tuesday, March 11th, 2008, 10:56 am in Cricket, Sports › Email this Email this › Facebook this › Reddit this › Link › Reader links

Hoarding

12 comments

  1. 1Al on March 11th, 2008, 11:03 am › Link

    I think you should live this all alone and start watching English premier League, football is the real game!!!

  2. 2rohin on March 11th, 2008, 11:07 am › Link

    I don’t want to live it (sic). They’re not mutually exclusive though - the brain has a capacious sports-centre.

  3. 3Runa on March 11th, 2008, 11:11 am › Link

    What ..how could they let the obvious:
    Hyderabadi Nawabs get by ?

    As for Kolkatta, the Hoff lives!

  4. 4khoofia on March 11th, 2008, 11:30 am › Link

    urgh! kolkata knight riders?!! what a chootia name. *trust me. i dont bring out the paindoo unless there is deep emotion involved*
    this totally came out of the owner’s ass. the guy’s going senile.

    kolkata tigers would have been too obvious but how about the kolkata kobras - you got some big ole naja naja’s out there, or how about kolkata kraits, or kolkata azad [with a nod to bengali history].

  5. 5rohin on March 11th, 2008, 11:38 am › Link

    Kobras works for me. He’d still have 4 Ks (King Khan’s Kolkata Kobras) to tick the Bolly-numerology box.

    Kolkata Kool Kats is my vote, with Hoog Lee the tiger dressed in an orange zoot suit like Kid Creole.

  6. 6anantha on March 11th, 2008, 11:39 am › Link

    I knew I hated Shah Rukh Khan before. But I am not going to say “no” to one more addition to the list of reasons.

    IMHO, all the IPL names suck, while the ICL names kick ass! Did you watch the brilliant promo video for the Chennai Superstars!

    And btw, if you are running WP, there are a few nifty plugins that will let you embed vids from Google and Youtube on here straight from the post page without adding code!

  7. 7Sri on March 11th, 2008, 1:44 pm › Link

    Even i they had stopped at Kolkata Knights it’d have been ok. Not relevant but then Knight Rider is no Bong :)

    -Sri

  8. 8Rahul on March 11th, 2008, 2:05 pm › Link

    I think they should have gone food-themed. Imagine the merchandising opportunities!

    The Mumbai Vada Pavs
    Bangalore Bisibele Bhaths
    Mohali Aloo Paranthas
    Chennai Sambars
    Delhi Tandoors
    Kolkata Rosogollas (or Chum Chums is fine too)
    Hyderabad Biryanis
    Jaipur Bhujiyas

  9. 9rohin on March 11th, 2008, 2:16 pm › Link

    IMHO, all the IPL names suck, while the ICL names kick ass! Did you watch the brilliant promo video for the Chennai Superstars!

    They’re pretty generic names as well (Tigers, Champs, Lions, Superstars etc). The promos were all much of a muchness when they came out last year, but the Chennai one was fun. I’ve not been that excited by the ICL with sparsely spread stars and no significant Indians - I think the obscene amounts of money in the IPL have made it a media spectacle and I’ve been taken in. Besides, the ICL cricket was so-so.

    Even i they had stopped at Kolkata Knights it’d have been ok

    The website refers to players as ‘Knights’ so they’re not even sure what they’re supposed to be saying.

  10. 10vikram on March 11th, 2008, 3:03 pm › Link

    As long as the IPL’s jerseys are better than the awful ICL jerseys, I will be happy.

    The team’s jersey…has been designed by Bollywood designer Manish Malhotra [link]

    Uh-oh,

  11. 11brown_dbd on March 13th, 2008, 3:43 am › Link

    Here are the promo videos:

    Kolkata Knight Riders:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZCPNXhcVB8
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxAMYyAu6p0
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jscjy0_DMhY

    Official IPL Promo:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nW7saskMbs

  12. 12Rahul on March 13th, 2008, 5:47 am › Link

    Of note, Kolkata’s owner Shah Rukh Khan said he chose ‘Kolkata Knight Riders’ to “appeal to the youth”

    I am more of a damsel rider myself, not that there’s anything wrong with knight riding.


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