Team Spirit

It’s a wonder Sunil Shetty has enough time to sleep, the amount of time he dedicates to various causes. Actor, producer, businessman and captain of the UAE’s new local Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) team the Mumbai Heroes, who will play their home games at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium during the whole CCL, the star certainly has his plate full. Jetting into Dubai yesterday, the 50-year-old managed to head to Kanz jewellery store at the Gold Souk to visit friend and managing director Anil Dhanak (pictured top right) and to have a look around at items including the Guinness Book of World Records’ certified largest gold ring on earth, the Najmat Taiba.

It was here that Sunil, most famous for his villainous portrayal of Dev in Dhadkhan (2000), sat down with us to talk all things cricket.

What are your expectations for this year’s tournament? How do you think the Mumbai Heroes will fare?

I’m excited. There’s only one way to go, because we were at the bottom of the ladder last year. We’ve got a good team. We had a nice team last year but we hadn’t practised, we hadn’t played together. This year we took time out and made sure that we played a lot together. We have a new home ground, so it should be good.

How have you improved training sessions? Have you overcome the weaknesses in your team?

We’ve been practising so much more than last year. We’ve been playing a lot of games and won 99 per cent of them against good league teams. Winning is a habit and I hope it continues.

The only weakness is we don’t play together through the year. But, we have come together as a unit in a very short time. That is our strength. The Twenty20 format is very fast and you need all-round players.

Who do you think will grab the headlines over the weekend?

We have a few standout players: Riteish Deshmukh, Aftab Shivdasani and Raja (Bherwani) to name a few.

Do you think mental strength plays an important part during the CCL, or do you see it as a bit of fun?

We are deadly serious about the series. I tell my players that we lost last time because we were not strong enough mentally. We were good enough, but didn’t see it through. I strongly believe the sport is a mind game and that you have to feel confident to perform well.

You can see it with the Indian national team right now. There’s too much pressure around them. If you’re strong enough like the Aussies or the English have been recently then you will be okay. We (India) don’t lack talent, but we need to come together more.

When you’re at the crease are you an actor who can play cricket, or do you become a cricketer?

I become a cricketer completely. If I bring the actor factor in then there’s going to be a lot of ego and that’s not going to allow me to play the way I want to. I’m happy and proud to be associated with the CCL. There’s more to life than just acting, for me cricket is passion.

Why do you think there is such passion for cricket among the celebrity community?

The CCL is the coming together of celebrities from all over the country, not only for cricket, but to make a difference to everything in society. 150 celebrities come in and 150 more will be supporting. That is 300 people who, from an entertainment perspective, rule the country and can bring about change through social awareness or support of a cause if they wish as they play together. For me the CCL is about giving back and being proud of that fact.

As Salman Khan is not playing, what has his involvement with the Heroes been?

Salman is a great friend of mine and is highly involved with the team with his brother Sohail. He’s an extremely good human being. Even though he can’t play for us this time around, he shares advice because he watches a lot of cricket. He is constantly encouraging the kids because, again, it’s all in the mind. You might play a good game, but when there are 40,000 people watching you, it’s a different matter entirely. He tells us to believe you are a cricketer and to be one. The moment you start acting, you’re in trouble.

david@khaleejtimes.com

Star power

Head to the Sharjah Cricket Stadium tomorrow for a heady dose of cricket and glamour aided by the likes of Salman Khan, Sunil Shetty, Sonakshi Sinha and Kangana Ranaut

Come Friday, superstars from Indian cinema will take to the Sharjah Cricket Stadium for a taste of the action. Playing the second season of the Celebrity Cricket League, Salman Khan will lead the way for the Mumbai Heroes for a cricketing showdown in the league’s first international match.

Devi Sri Prasad will take to the stage for the show’s opening ceremony as Atif Aslam will join in the act in the build-up to an action-packed twenty20 match between the Mumbai Heroes and the Telugu Warriors.

Salman Khan will host the toss, with as Sunil Shetty representing the Mumbai Heroes and Venkatesh Daggubati heading the Telugu Warriors.

Sonakshi Sinha, Kangana Ranaut, Genelia D’Souza, Sameera Reddy and Shriya Saran will cheer the teams as the glam-brigade will appear at the stadium to support their teams.

Gates to the stadium will open at 4pm as the star-studded opening ceremony will be attended by the team players including Ritesh Deshmukh, Bobby Deol, Aftab Shivdasani, Sohail Khan and other celebrities.

The league final will be in Hyderabad on February 12 as other matches will be played in Chennai, Kochi, Kolkatta and Hyderabad.