Not interested in cricket? Is that possible? Okay, if that’s the case, you can maintain your Bollywood interest in the fortunes of Shilpa, Preity and SRK through the Miss Bollywood contest in South Africa that’s running parallel to the IPL main event and drawing its own market share. With the possibility of a role in a Bollywood movie, a business class trip to India and 3 lakhs for the winner, temperatures are running high.
The hook of the contest is that it intends to pick the hottest female spectator from amongst the crowds at the grounds – never have so many attractive young women so suddenly taken an interest in the ancient hallowed game!
Confidence is high: “All the girls at the Miss Bollywood competition are very beautiful, but I am expecting to make it to the top,” says genuine amateur Riona Singh. Both Riona and Shelley Ganguly support SRK’s Kolkata Knight Riders, so you think they’d be used to losing but that’s far from the case: “My cricket team may have lost but I hope to win and make it up for them,” explains Shelley.
Chanel Bettison is also a genuine fan and was plucked from the crowd at a game two weeks ago. “20/20 cricket is fast and lively, I love the characters in the game, especially Shane Warne, whom I got to meet once very briefly,” she confides.
Law student Ivanova Gueoerguieba of the Delhi Daredevils says “I would really love to win, I’ve always wanted to go to India,”
However, a scandal may be in the offing with some suggesting that not all the entrants are true amateurs – a face that stands out in the crowd. It’s been suggested that some teams may be stacking the odds in their favour and planting known models in the crowd whose interest in cricket may turn out to be ephemeral. Elbe van der Merwe, representing the Rajasthan Royals, is a former winner of Sports Illustrated’s New Model Search competition, and Gabriella Demetriades of the Deccan Chargers once posed in the pages of FHM.
You can vote on the IPL website for the winner from each of the eight venues. The winner of the contest will then be chosen by a special panel during the final game on May 24th. It’s all a long way from Lord’s and the MCC!
