Saif becomes champion of tennis ball cricket, backs Tigers of Kolkata

Mumbai, Feb 26 (IANS) With the country's first tennis ball T10 tournament, or the Indian Street Premier League (ISPL), scheduled to take off in March, Saif Ali Khan, who is the co-owner of Tigers of Kolkata, talked about his connect with the city of his mother Sharmila Tagore's famous family.

His father, the legendary Mansoor Ali Khan 'Tiger' Pataudi, or his grandfather, Iftikhar Ali Khan, who played cricket for England and captained India in 1946, may not have approved of the statement, but Saif said entertainment and cricket have always been connected.

He also added that he believes he would be a worthwhile ambassador the Tigers of Kolkata. His father, incidentally, was also known as Tiger Pataudi.

Saif was speaking at a press conference held in Mumbai to announce the first-ever T10 tennis ball cricket competition in India.

Talking about the tournament, which will see six teams in action, Saif stated, "This is a wonderful initiative. It is a great thing for cricket too. The idea is to take cricket from the streets to the stadium. The beginning of cricket for everyone is with a tennis ball."

Speaking about the cricket-entertainment connect, Saif said, "It is becoming more and more so as time goes by."

About Kolkata, he added, "The city is very close to my heart. My mother is from there. Half of my family is from there and the other half belongs to cricket. So I feel I am a good ambassador for Tigers of Kolkata."

The six teams that will be seen in action at the ISPL will represents Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata and Srinagar. They will play a total of 19 matches in the tournament, all in Mumbai, from March 2, to March 9.