Mumbai: Topps India Sports & Entertainment Company Pvt Ltd, pioneers of Sports and Entertainment trading card games and collectables for kids and the owner of the brand Cricket Attax – the official trading card game of DLF IPL, today completed the first city final of Cricket Attax Championships 2012 in Mumbai.
Sanjeev Katyal, Head of India operations felicitated the Championship’s Mumbai city finalist Nishit Saraf.
For Nishit, it was a proud moment! An ardent fan of DLF IPL and Cricket Attax game, hecould not contain his enthusiasm when his name was called out. Sitting amongst the audience his parents were cheering him as he went on to be crowned the Mumbai Cricket Attax Champion at the Wankhede Stadium in the midst of the jubilant crowds! Making his moment even more special was the fact that he received his trophy from none other than Aiden Blizzard.
The Cricket Attax Championships 2012 which kicked off in April saw participation of more than 1 lac kids across 9 DLF IPL playing cities. With DLF IPL tournament witnessing never before crowds at the grounds and phenomenal success in overall viewership across media platforms, the fan following amongst kids and family groups is at an all-time high and it is no surprise therefore that the Cricket Attax Championships were also so well received.
The league rounds of the championships were played across 200 stores where the game is also retailed. The key retail partner for the Cricket Attax Championships in Mumbai was Reliance TimeOut.
The Championships were also well supported by a dedicated television campaign across all kids’ channels.
For every city 8 semi-finalists were selected amongst the thousands of kids who played the league rounds. For Mumbai the semi-finals happened in Bandra, at the Reliance TimeOut where these kids played each other and two finalists emerged. These two finalists along with their family were taken to the Wankhede Stadium where they played Mumbai city finals of the Cricket Attax Game Championships in front of cheering crowds and proud parents, just before the start of the match between Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders, at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
Cricket Attax Championships is played with the Cricket Attax Trading Card Game, the official DLF IPL trading card game. The Championships allow the kids the big opportunity to vie for the city champion’s crown at the stadium, at the last home match for each of the 9 DLF IPL playing city teams. It is a three tier competition, the biggest in the nation for kids, with a 4 week league round, the city finals round and the national finals. The Championships are played parallel to the DLF IPL tournament and mirror the tournaments format, with 4 city champions out of the 9 being selected for the play-offs to vie for the national crown, exactly as the top 4 teams in the tournament do.
Nishit Saraf is one of the 9 city champions amongst whom the 4 top ‘City Champions’ will be flown by Topps to the Chennai play-off match on the 25th of May to compete for the coveted title of the ‘National Champion of Cricket Attax 2012’.
On the occasion of the success of the championship, Sanjeev Katyal, Head of India operations of Topps said, “I am extremely happy and excited for Nishit Saraf who has won the Mumbai leg of the championship. Cricket is a craze across age groups, including among children. The innovative design and development of Topps’ Cricket Attax trading card game enables kids to relive the DLF IPL phenomenon and connect with their icons and the passion that Indian kids have for the DLF IPL. Cricket Attax is a game about combining strategy and knowledge whilst enjoying the game. We hope to carry forward the energy and enthusiasm to the other cities in the upcoming events. I would like to make use of the occasion to convey my best regards to the participants”
Speaking on the occasion, Mumbai Indians Spokesperson said "We are delighted & thankful to the kids for their active participation. Mumbai Indians have taken various initiatives like 'Education for All', MI World - an online community, MI shop which is the online shop for all Mumbai Indians merchandise, Mumbai Indian-Mickey tie-up with Disney, all these initiatives are designed to reach out to the loyal fans. Led by these initiatives Mumbai Indians today is a leading sports brand which is immensely active in the social sphere as well as prides itself in providing memorable experience to the large fan following. We are glad to see the immense response from the Mumbai Indians fans for Cricket Attax Trading Card Game and the competition. We congratulate the Mumbai city Cricket Attax Champion and wish him good luck to win the national champion’s crown," he further added.
In 2011, Topps had introduced India to the collectible culture with the launch of Topps Cricket Attax trading cards, a game that was acclaimed as one of the most successful features associated with IPL during that year. Taking this forward, Topps has launched Cricket Attax 2. Cricket Attax is based on the popular Indian T20 cricket property – DLF Indian Premier League and is its official trading card game. This exciting game of strategy and skill really tests one’s knowledge of cricket and creates a connect with the players, bringing fans closer to the league and its superstars. The inviting pricing of just Rs.15 per packet has enabled kids across all socio economic classes and geographies in India to afford and enjoy the fun of collecting and playing the authentic game.
