MUMBAI: Youth channel UTV Bindass is launching in February-end a cricket reality show, Cricket Champs.

The show, produced in association with Indraprastha All India Sports Foundation (IAISF), seeks to identify the budding cricket talent from across thecountry; it will provide an opportunity for potential young cricketers.

UTV Bindass business head Keith Alphonso said, ?We at Bindass are known to create path breaking programming and are happy to present to our viewers an exciting mix of sports and reality with Cricket Champs. The concept of the show has a purposive goal aimed at giving youth a platform to showcase their sporting talent. The show will bring alive the spirit of the youth and help promote the budding sports talent in India.?

Cricket Champ is being powered by Bhushan Pharmaceuticals. The sponsors include Akai Mobiles, nexGTv, Koovs.com, Puri Group and Livemedia. Reebok is the Fitness Partners while Aircel has come on board as the Telecom Partners. Pioneer Publicity India is the outdoor partner for the show.

IAISF chairperson Rohini Rajdev added, ?IAISF aims at bringing talent from hinterland to mainland. As an NGO, we wish to create opportunities for those, who have a dream to become not only the Indian cricketer but also the Indian captain, the cricket champ, however, they do not have any opportunity and resources to fulfill their dreams. This show will help them in coming up and showing their talent. The entire country would horn their skill and abilities and give them opportunity to play higher league form?.

Cricket Champs will hold auditions covering 300 schools, colleges and coaching centres across India with cricket representatives like Irfan and Yusuf Pathan, Keerti Aazad, Piyush Chawla. The cricketers will be chosen in two categories: Under 16 and under 22. The West and East zone includes Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata, Bihar, Jharkhand, Bhubaneswar; North zone covers Delhi, Chandigarh, Jaipur, UP; and south zone has Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai.

Once through with the auditions, the selected participants will be judged on their performances.

UTV Bindass viewers can also participate through voting and the contestant who receives the maximum votes umulatively will be declared as the ?Cricket Champ?.

The winner of the show will win a cash prize of Rs 1 million and the top 10 players will get an opportunity to be a part of the IPL coaching, where they will be coached by some of the renowned names in cricket.

TThe aspiring cricketers can apply through application forms available with the coaches in their respective cities across the country. The form can also be downloaded from the IAISF website www.indraprasthasportsfd.com.