Twenty20 fever catches fans
Swati Anand & Manuja Veerappa | TNN

Bangalore: Vipin Shah (28) is the kind of cricket fan that salvages the morale of the Indian cricket team. The diehard enthusiast is headed to South Africa with his friends next month to root for the Men in Blue at the Twenty20 cricket tournament. “So what if the team did not do well in the World Cup? With a young team, I’m sure they’ll do well,” says the optimistic businessman. “Besides, watching the best teams in the shorter version, will definitely be a treat.” Shah is just one of the hundreds of willow lovers whose passion is taking them to Mandela’s homeland. A sixnight-seven-day trip to SA can cost anything between Rs 70,000 and Rs 2 lakh.

“After the World Cup disaster, there was a slump in cricket interest. But after India’s spirited performance in England, things are looking up,” says Saumil Majmudar, CEO of Sportzvillage. His company is the official hospitality partner for the tournament and has already seen over 250 serious enquiries. Fans can choose packages ranging from Rs 75,000 to Rs 1 lakh.

Families and corporates too are game for some crisp cricket. “Families use this tournament as an added attraction to a vacation. They look to club sightseeing and even safaris with major cricket matches,” says Sunil Gupta, COO of SOTCKuoni

Holidays, which’s targeting 3,000 bookings. The company has lined up seven packages for the tournament, starting with one for two nights-three days priced at Rs 45,000 (ex Mumbai) meant for those who only want to catch the finals. Corporates are block-booking in numbers as high as 50 and 100 for their top level or highperformance employees, dealers and agents. “The best time to visit SA is between July and September, so the tournament is timed well. With 40 more days to go, we’re expecting a snowball effect in more bookings, mostly from corporates,” says Vishal Suri, COO (leisure travel), Thomas Cook.