MUMBAI, May 27, 2013: After many weeks of game play and several nail-biting matches later, Topps India Sports & Entertainment Company Pvt Ltdhas finally announced the National Champion of Cricket Attax 2013. Prithvi Venu from Chennaiis the proud winner of the Cricket Attax 2013 Championship. Aryan deep Singh is the first Runner up from Chandigarh, Aditya Makharia is the Second Runner up from Jaipur and Rohit Pamidi is the third Runner up from Bangalore.

Topps is the pioneer of Sports and Entertainment Trading Card games and collectibles for kids and the owner of the brand CricketAttax - the official trading card game of the Pepsi IPL 2013.

Amidst the jubilant crowds of Eden Gardens, just before the finale of the Pepsi IPL 2013, the Cricket Attax National Championship took place, and Prithvi Venu emerged the winner! To present the cup, Mr. Sanjeev Katyal, Head of India operations of Topps was accompanied by Sunil Gavaskar.

After an exciting 9 city tour where 9 winners were selected for the semi-finals,eventually 4 played the grand finale for the coveted title of the National Champion! Each of the players brought their best game to the table and played a nail-biting match to the finish line!

Speaking on being declared the winner Prithvi said "Cricket and Cricket Attax are my favourite games. I am very happy and excited to win the National Championship trophy. I was thrilled to receive the trophy from Sunil Gavaskar and now can‘t wait to show off my trophy to all my friends!"

Mr. Sanjeev Katyal, Head of India operations of Topps further added, "Firstly I would like to congratulate Prithvi on behalf of team Topps India for winning the title of the Cricket Attax Champion for 2013. What a match! Every year, we see the grit and determination of the kids to take home the trophy, and it encourages us to make the Cricket Attax Championship bigger and better! The culmination of the events this year was every bit as grand as we had planned. We also thank all the kids who so earnestly participated in the Championship, and wish them all the best for next year! "

"The Pepsi IPL 2013 has been exciting and exhilarating. The kids have played the National Championship in the true spirit of the IPL, and we would like to extend big congratulations on behalf of the team here to Prithvi on winning the trophy! Well done and well played," Rajeev Shukla, Chairman, IPL, said.

The CricketAttax Championships2013, which kicked off in April, saw the participation of more than 60,000 kids across nine cities that were hosting matches of the Pepsi IPL 2013. With the tournament witnessing unprecedented 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. Some of the key retail partners for the Cricket Attax Championships wereHamleys, Reliance Timeout, Landmark, More, ShoppersStop, Wal-Mart, Hyper-city, and lifestyle.

The Championships were also well supported by a dedicated television campaign across all kids‘ channels.

Cricket Attax Championships is played with the Cricket Attax Trading Card Game, the official Pepsi IPL 2013 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 teams playing in the Pepsi IPL 2013. 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 Pepsi IPL 2013 and mirror the tournament‘s format, with 4 city champions out of the 9 being selected for the Playoffs to vie for the National crown, just as the top 4 teams in the Pepsi IPL 2013 do.

Bangalore: Imagine your child walking on field, hand-in-hand with some of the world?s finest cricketing heroes, at the Grand Finale of the world?s most watched cricketing extravaganza! Introducing the Vodafone SuperFan Junior contest, a first-of-its-kind initiative, Vodafone India is providing a unique opportunity for 22 young boys and girls aged 6-12 years across India. The contest allows the kids to participate and win a dream come true experience of grand reception and a chance to walk hand-in-hand on field with 22 of the world?s finest cricketing heroes competing at the Grand Finale of IPL 2013, at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on 26th May 2013.

Vodafone is the only brand to be associated with IPL since its inception in 2008. The Vodafone Superfan Junior contest takes a leaf from the immensely popular Vodafone SuperFan contest which has already drawn lakhs of responses from aspiring winners across the country.

Vodafone Superfan Junior will be selected basis the entry by Eligible Subscribers who need to be the parents or guardians of the children.

The selection of the Vodafone Superfan Junior shall be based on the selection mechanism outlined on the website www.vodafone.in/superfanjunior.

To enter, the participants must send an image to the Organizers either as an email or as a direct transfer on the website.
After uploading on the website, the participants will be asked to gather vote on their images. The image with the most votes will be chosen as the Vodafone Superfan Junior.

22 such kids will be selected by an independent panel of experts.

There is additional excitement in store for the Vodafone Superfan Junior winners. As part the large digital presence, Vodafone has often created crowdsourcing activities, especially on the Facebook page (facebook.com/zoozoo). As a natural extension of this belief to tap the creative energies that the ?faceless crowd? on the internet brings, Vodafone has collaborated with Talenthouse for a creative cricket kit design that will be worn by the 22 Vodafone Superfan Junior winners as they take centrestage at the IPL finals.

Throwing light on the simplicity of the Vodafone SuperFan Junior proposition, Anuradha Aggarwal, Senior Vice President ?Brand Communications and Insights, Vodafone India said, ?IPL is certainly the biggest mass-media property in the country. The Vodafone SuperFan contest has worked extremely well for us, giving us invaluable efficiency of reach with customers across the country and has helped us engage very closely with them. With the launch of Vodafone Superfan Junior, we are taking another innovative lead, presenting a never before opportunity in Indian sport, to children, who are a key emerging audience base. The gratification of providing these 22 winners with grand reception and a chance to walk onto the field hand-in-hand with their dream heroes at the T20 final makes this a larger than life experience.?

In addition to Vodafone SuperFan and Vodafone JuniorFan, there are a host of other initiatives that Vodafone has been conducting, to enhance buzz and excitement for its customers during the 53 day long IPL tournament. Each activity has been conceptualized to delight and enthrall cricket lovers, watching this tournament at the stadium and on television.

CHENNAI : Sun Direct, the leading DTH player in South India, is all set to announce it‘s super sporting offers around the world‘s biggest T-20 cricket event, the Pepsi - IPL on Max. These amazing offers bring the best sports entertainment property to all it‘s existing and new subscribers as a super value proposition that Sun Direct has always stood for.

Sun Direct HD subscribers are in for a treat this April as they will be enjoying Pepsi-IPL on Sony Six HD in high definition completely FREE of cost! This new channel on the Sun Direct HD service will bring sporting variety to this already unique HD service

Moreover, Sun Direct will also provide offers on select Standard Definition packages for existing and new customers:

For Sun Direct HD subscribers:

Pepsi-IPL HD on Sony Six HD will be available free of cost to all existing and new subscribers

For Sun Direct subscribers (Standard Definition):

• All new Customers get free access to Pepsi - IPL on Max with all new DTH connections* (Except for Pick My Pack). New Sun Direct DTH connection starts at Rs.1590/-

Existing customers get Pepsi - IPL on Max free:

• Customers can get this offer on renewal of south value pack for 12 months at Rs. 1499
• Customers can get this offer on renewal of cinema plus pack for 12 months at Rs. 1699

Commenting on this initiative Mr. Mahesh Kumar, Managing Director of Sun Direct, said, "With the showcasing of Pepsi -IPL in HD free of cost, Sun Direct yet again demonstrates that it excels in delivering superior value across High Definition and Standard Definition products. We hope our existing and new subscribers get full entertainment value for their money with our offers across High Definition and Standard Definition. More so, because both our new HD and SD products come with recording, pause and rewind features which can multiply your Pepsi-IPL enjoyment"

• Super Offers for both HD and SD customers!
• Existing and new customers of Sun Direct HD get to see Pepsi-IPL in HD on Sony Six HD for free!
• New subscribers of Standard Definition can avail Pepsi - IPL on Max free (with select packs
• Existing subscribers can renew specific long tenure packs and avail Pepsi - IPL on Max free
• Sun Direct offers Pepsi - IPL add on for Rs.39 during this IPL season