Sony to broadcast MCL in India

Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN), formerly Multi Screen Media (MSM) Private Ltd., has bagged the exclusive broadcast rights of the first edition of the Masters Champions League (MCL), a Twenty20 cricket tournament, beginning January 28, 2016.

Sony Six will telecast all 18 matches of the event live from Dubai and Sharjah to across the Indian sub-continent.

MCL has also secured India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni as its brand ambassador. Six teams will take part in the tournament led by an icon player and the teams have been named after zodiac signs -- Libra, Gemini, Sagittarius, Virgo, Capricorn and Leo.

The first match has been scheduled between Sourav Ganguly's Libra Legends and Virender Sehwag's Gemini Arabians at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Iconic players like Brian Lara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Adam Gilchrist, Paul Collingwood, Brett Lee, Jacques Kallis, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara among others have also been drafted. The final will also be staged in Dubai on February 13.

"Most fans have grown up watching these international legends play and the tournament gives them an opportunity to connect with them again. Viewers of Sony Six can look forward to some great cricketing action and we are excited to partner with MCL as a result," Sony Six and Kix Business Head Prasana Krishnan said.