The reigning Champions of the English Twenty20 Cup, Middlesex Panthers, are to play the 2008 Indian Premier League (IPL) Champions, the Rajasthan Royals (RR), in a Twenty20 match for the British Asian Trust, one of the Prince of Wales' charities. The match will take place at 4:30pm on 6th July 2009 at Lord's.

 

The day will bring the 'glamour of Bollywood' to The Home of Cricket in a celebration of the best of the Indian and English games. With the pick of Bollywood entertainment, the finest Indian and English cuisine and, of course, the best Twenty20 cricket from two teams that dominated their leagues last year, this is a must-see event. The first match in the UK to feature an IPL team is a great opportunity for British cricket fans to get a taste of the IPL excitement - cheerleaders included! It is also a chance for new cricket fans to come to Lord's and see top players such as Shane Warne, Graeme Smith, Yusuf Pathan, Munaf Patel, Tyron Henderson and Owais Shah in action.

 

The organisers hope the combination of these stars, and a Bollywood extravaganza with Shilpa Shetty between innings, will attract not just members of London's large Asian population but also families and schools to come to The Home of Cricket and see the ground transformed for this historic match.

 

There is a range of ticket incentives for spectators:

 

• Adult tickets are available for only £10 to those booking before the 12th June

 

• Families booking two adults and one under 16 ticket will get another under 16 ticket free. Combined with the early booking discount, that is only £25 for a family of four when booked before the 12th June.

 

For schools and cricket clubs that purchase tickets:

• For every eight children's tickets purchased, one adult ticket will be included free

 

Vinny Codrington, Chief Executive of Middlesex County Cricket Club said: "Middlesex are thrilled to be involved in such a prestigious charity match. We were all disappointed not to have gone to the Champions League last November, so the chance to match the 2008 champions of England and the Indian Premier League in aid of the British Asian Trust is a huge honour, and the players are really excited by the opportunity."

 

Manoj Badale, Chairman and co-owner of the Rajasthan Royals said: "After receiving a lot of support in South Africa, we are looking forward to coming to Lord's and the English crowds. Lord's is a really special ground, and this is a great opportunity to bring the magic of the IPL to the UK."

 

Keith Bradshaw, Secretary & Chief Executive of MCC said: "MCC is delighted that Lord's will be the first English ground to host an IPL team. Players like Shane Warne and Graeme Smith have graced Lord's before and it will be a great opportunity for fans to come to The Home of Cricket and see them work their magic in a Twenty20 match. Lord's is the stage the best players want to appear on and I am very much looking forward to a little piece of India coming to St John's Wood on 6th July."

 

Lalit Modi, Chairman and Commissioner of the IPL said: "We are delighted to see the inaugural Champions of the IPL playing against the English Champions in such an innovative event."

 

Shilpa Shetty, the most recent addition to the ownership group of the Rajasthan Royals said: "I am looking forward to seeing the Rajasthan Royals play in London. After the great reception we had in South Africa, I'm sure the British crowds will come out to support the Royals. To play the game at Lord's will make it extra special, and the UK is a country dear to my heart".

 

Shane Warne, Captain and Coach of the Rajasthan Royals said: "There is no better place for a cricketer to play than Lord's, and to get to play the reigning English Champions after the cancellation of last year's Champions League is a great opportunity for the team."

 

Shaun Udal, Middlesex Captain said: "Some of our players have experienced the IPL first hand, and this is a great opportunity for all of the guys who missed out on the Champions League, due to last year's terrorist attack in Mumbai."

 

EVENT FACTSHEET

 

Event details

 

• Match commences at 4:30pm BST on Monday 6th July 2009

 

• Middlesex Panthers (captain: Shaun Udal) will face the Rajasthan Royals (captain: Shane Warne)

 

• Ticket prices are £20 for adults, £5 for under 16s.

 

• Book early and receive a 50% discount: those booking before 12th June can buy adult tickets at only £10

 

• The match will include a half-time Bollywood Extravaganza with Shilpa Shetty.

 

• Tickets will be on sale from Tuesday 2nd June through the Lord's ticket office on 020 7432 1000 and online at http://ticketsales.lords.org/. Tickets will also be available at Lord's Cricket Ground from 22nd June.

 

• For corporate bookings, please contact the MCC Hospitality team on 020 7616 8598 or email hospitality@mcc.org.uk

 

• For school or cricket club bookings, please contact the Lord's ticket office on 020 7432 1000.

 

Squad lists (to be confirmed, and subject to international commitments):

 

 

Middlesex Panthers:	Rajasthan Royals
Shaun Udal (c) Billy Godleman Phillip Hughes Owais Shah Eoin Morgan Dawid Malan Neil Dexter Gareth Berg Ben Scott Chris Silverwood Steven Finn Tyron Henderson Murali Karthik	Shane Warne (c) Graeme Smith Naman Ojha Kamran Akmal Ravindra Jadeja Yusuf Pathan Abhishek Raut Johan Botha Shaun Tait Sohail Tanveer Munaf Patel Amit Singh Siddharth Trivedi Swapnil Asnodkar

 

 

About the Middlesex Panthers

 

Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the most successful and respected county sides in the English game. Based at Lord’s Cricket Ground, the historic Home of Cricket in St John’s Wood, London, the club has had continued success since its formation in 1864. Major honours throughout this time include being crowned First Class County Champions twelve times, as well as being crowned winners of the various English domestic one day domestic competitions a further ten times. The club’s most recent success came in 2008’s Twenty20 cup, which saw Middlesex go unbeaten at Lord’s throughout the whole competition, winning more games than any other side, eleven out of thirteen in all, and go on to post a record breaking total of 187 for 6 in the final, to defeat Kent on the very last ball of a thrilling match at Hampshire’s Rose Bowl.

 

Middlesex has a long history of providing many leading players to the England Test side, and can lay claim to having provided such legends as Denis Compton, Mike Brearley, Angus Fraser and Mike Gatting to the national team over the years. Middlesex’s side of today proudly continues that trend and includes three England internationals, in current England Test and One-day Captain, Andrew Strauss, top order batsman and England regular Owais Shah, and the newly selected and hugely exciting prospect, Eoin Morgan. Middlesex’s ranks also include England Lion and wicket keeping ace, Ben Scott, who many experts in the game claim to be the best glove man in the country today!  

 

Middlesex’s one day side are known as the Middlesex Panthers and they are captained in all forms of the game by the greatly experienced and seasoned professional ex-England international off spinner Shaun Udal.

 

http://www.middlesexccc.com/

 

 

About the British Asian Trust

 

The British Asian Trust is a UK-based grant making charity established by British Asian business leaders at the suggestion of HRH The Prince of Wales in July 2007.
Our mission is to serve as a catalyst for British Asians to support innovative and inspirational charities within the areas of education, enterprise and health in South Asia and the UK.

 

Background

 

Over the past four centuries, the lives of many people from South Asia and Britain have become inextricably linked. These connections have been greatly strengthened in the last sixty years with the emergence of the British Asian community, which plays a significant and growing role in contemporary Britain.

 

But despite rapid economic growth and increasing prosperity, there remains a vast disparity in wealth and opportunity in all our countries, which can threaten the very fabric of our societies. The British Asian Trust brings together partners in all our countries to make a practical difference to resolving these issues. The British Asian Trust exists to build bridges between the British Asian community and charitable organisations in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – South Asia.

 

Our Approach

 

At the British Asian Trust, our core belief is to ensure that philanthropic donations are well-utilised and beneficiaries are best served.

 

The Trust practices strategic philanthropy, investing in charities that are high-impact, credible and effective. It is committed to both donors and the communities it seeks to help, ensuring that funds are not only distributed responsibly and effectively, but are invested in organisations with good talent, effective systems & processes and transparent and accountable procedures.

 

Moving beyond just working on a needy and important cause, the Trust aims to support sustainable organisations, providing them with funding that enables real and lasting change on the ground, rather than one-off projects.

 

The Trust prefers to work in partnership with like-minded funders on the ground to enable shared resources on due diligence, monitoring and impact measurement.

 

The British Asian Trust is a UK registered charity (1127366), and the 20th member of The Prince’s Charities.

For more information please contact: info@britishasiantrust.org

 

http://www.britishasiantrust.com/