Mumbai: India is the land of diverse cultures. Each city, each region brings its own dynamic mix of people and traditions. However unique they may be, what binds all of them together, undoubtedly, is ONE unifying factor – the love for CRICKET! Be it the Cricket World Cup, an ICC tournament or the Indian Premier League, the craze for cricket is nearly present amongst every Indian. With the onset of the 2020 season of the IPL, fans are eager to engage more with their beloved sport, their favourite team and the sportsperson they love to cheer for. Making the T20 cricket extravaganza even more exciting during the pandemic, ZEE5, India’s entertainment super-app, has curated its own entertaining HiPi Premier League (HPL) on the app’s UGC platform – HiPi, to enable fans to partake in one of the biggest sporting spectaculars of 2020. HPL went LIVE on 19th September 2020 and has taken content creators by storm by giving them a reason and a platform to celebrate cricket.
The HPL is divided in8 exciting teams with captains who are well-known celebrities and renowned influencers. HPL Gurus (captains) like Sugandha Mishra, Sanket Bhosle, Gaurav Gera and Ssumier Pasricha have started the competition to become the ultimate champions of the league by creating some exciting short videos to entertain and engage with the audience. The 8 competing teams have been formed keeping the actual tournament team and the regions they represent. Hyderabad Hippers, Mumbai Mastis, Delhi Dhoomers, Rajasthan Rockstars, Punjab Putters, Chennai Swaggers, Bangalore Badshahs, and Kolkata Khiladisare the teams on HPL. The teams are creating exciting content and engaging through their captains/gurus while encouraging more people to join their teams to support their favourite players.
Mr. Manish Kalra, Senior Vice President and Business Head – AVOD, ZEE5, India, said, “ZEE5’s journey towards becoming the one-stop entertainment destination is fuelled by the platform’s innovations that cater to the larger consumer segment. The launch of HiPi also stemmed from this vision and has delivered the perfect place for India’s finest creators to craft content and attain the fandom status. Cricket being a strong sentiment in India, the launch of the HiPi Premier League (HPL) will provide these crazy fans one more opportunity to express through engaging and fun content. HPL will truly redefine the cricketing experience by enhancing the T20 tournament’s reach through contribution from the content creators and brands together.”
Echoing these sentiments, some of the gurus of HiPi’s Premier League also shared views on how excited they are, to be a part of HPL.
Sugandha Mishra shared, “The lockdown has resulted in cricket fans craving for every opportunity to engage since they are unable to attend live matches to witness their favourite teams in action. The HPL is set to fill that void that the fans have been waiting for. I am excited to be a part of this unique initiative and look forward to express mylove for the biggest cricket tournament on HiPi.”
Gaurav Gera said, “The HPL is a distinctive initiative by ZEE5 which celebrates the nation’s favourite sport in a unique way! It will be entertaining, engaging and exciting for fans to not only consume, but also, create entertaining short format content, participate in challenges, learn more about the game and the players. Be it the fun quizzes, polls or challenges or trivia, the HPL is going to be every cricket lover’s dream platform to express their love for the game in creative and engaging ways.”
Ssumier Pasricha remarked, “All the teams boast of such fun creators that we can expect some fireworks each day with the HPL. This will also inspire more fans to come up with their unique videos and engage with other creators, viewers and brands throughout the league. Be it entertaining challenges, contests, or creativity the HiPi Premier League is sure to encourage the super fan in all of us!”
Pammi Aunty aka Ssumier added, “Apni team nu sport karoteonna nu jitao and make them win HorKi.”
Bringing one more reason to cheer for fans, ZEE5 has ensured that the lockdown doesn’t restrict the interaction of fans with the sport by encouraging them to participate in the HPL. Users whose videos get maximum likes in a day and in a week, in addition to the season’s leading content creator is entitled to win the exciting HiPiZen of the Day, HiPiZen of the Week and the Grand Prize awards.
