High PL : News

From Mahatma Gandhi's favourite bhajan to Akon's smash hits, the closing ceremony of the Indian Premier League was a glittering and star-studded event that showcased the diverse cultures of South Africa and India.
See Full Coverage

East London's Dune Kossatz has been crowned Miss IPL Bollywood South Africa at a glittering event at the Monte Casino entertainment complex in Johannesburg in the wee hours on Sunday.

With actors like Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Shilpa Shetty and Katrina Kaif adding the glamour quotient to the ongoing IPL tournament, their ardent fans in S Africa are keeping their fingers crossed to have a glimpse of the Bollywood hotties in person.

After five weeks of exhilarating cricket, the Indian Premier League (IPL) will draw to a close in an electrifying closing ceremony at Wanderers Cricket Stadium in Johannesburg on Sunday.

The Miss Bollywood South Africa contest has been a huge hit with fans and participants and the 16 shortlisted for the crown were going through their steps under their choreographer at a plush auditorium on Friday afternoon, reports Atreyo Mukhopadhyay.

Shilpa Shetty and Katrina Kaif will join former Miss Universe Michelle McLean and former Miss South Africa Joanne Strauss, now a TV presenter, as the finalists vie for a prize package that could also feature an audition for a Bollywood role.

It was only after he opened the window and took it out did we realise that it was actually a baby crocodile, a month old, very much alive and kicking once it was placed on your palm, reports Atreyo Mukhopadhyay.

South African IPL fans will get the first peek at an exclusive range of jeans created by designer Tarun Tahiliani for international brand Levi's before they go on sale in India next month.

The ‘Big Five’ (lion, buffalo, elephant, rhinoceros, leopard) are not served but the menu includes zebra and giraffe even though they are not easy to come by, reports Atreyo Mukhopadhyay.

After promising to reveal his identity at the end of Kolkata Knight Riders' IPL campaign, the blogger, who calls himself a Fake IPL Player, has left everyone guessing by not coming out with the much-awaited disclosure in what is ostensibly his last post.

Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty will join American R&B sensation Akon as he sings his Grammy award winning Smack That at the closing ceremony of the IPL at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Sunday night. Organisers also said that Katrina Kaif will join a troupe of Indian and South African dancers to perform the Oscar-winning AR Rahman song Jai Ho.

Bollywood stars Kareena Kapoor, Akshay Kumar, Rani Mukherjee and Bipasha Basu will join the troupe of world-renowned choreographer Shiamak Davar alongside the pyrotechnics and laser show for what promises to be a spectacular closing ceremony.

I have lost count the number of times I have zoomed across the streets of Johannesburg in a Mercedes. Going to the plush and elegant Sandton Sun, where the teams are staying, one doesn’t look out of place, but here I am riding a Merc while going to the shop to buy toothpaste and a nail-cutter too. Reason? Many taxis in this city are of that famous make, writes Atreyo Mukhopadhyay.

Actress Preity Zinta's ex beau and business partner Ness Wadia was beaten black and blue in South Africa, along with fellow partner Mohit Burman. A little birdie tells us that drunk Mohit kept butting a lady spectator with a flagpole.

While all roads in this city lead to the Wanderers Stadium where IPL organisers are offering a heady cocktail of cricket and entertainment, the picture is exactly opposite at the Coca Cola Park, one of the 10 venues of the 2010 World Cup, where scores of construction workers silently go about their work with routine professionalism.