Star Sports to broadcast International Premier Tennis League

The tournament will take place between November 28 and December 13, this year. It will be played in indoor stadiums across four Asian countries - Philippines, Singapore, India and UAE.

Star Sports, popular sports channel from the Star India stable, has acquired the rights to telecast the upcoming International Premier Tennis League (IPTL).

The development is in line with the channel's plan to cater to India's growing appetite for non-cricketing sports such as tennis, hockey, badminton and kabaddi.

The IPTL is slated to begin on November 28, this year. It will be played in indoor stadiums across four Asian countries - Philippines, Singapore, India and UAE. The tournament will go on till December 13.

The matches will be telecast live on Star Sports, Star Sports HD and starsports.com.

According to the channel, ITPL will bring together current champions, tennis legends and upcoming talent in a format that's never been seen before.

The league is being organised by popular tennis player Mahesh Bhupathi, with the objective to cater to the increasing demand for top-level tennis championships in Asia.

Nitin Kukreja, president, sports, Star India says, "The ITPL is an unprecedented opportunity for sports fans across India to experience the game. This is the first time India will play host to some of the biggest names in tennis, and we at Star Sports are extremely proud to be associated with this league. We're confident that the league will take the game of tennis to much greater heights and accelerate its development."

The India leg of the IPTL is scheduled to be held in Delhi. It will see the participation of champions like Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Tomas Berdych, Goran Ivanisevic and Pete Sampras.

According to Bhupathi, the decision to partner with Star was an easy one, given its "network strength and commitment to growing the sport in the country."

He is confident that the IPTL's "quicker and more exciting format" coupled with "Star Sports' strength in packaging and promotion," will help deliver a good viewing experience.

For the record, each IPTL match will consist of five sets. Formats include men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, mixed doubles and former Champions singles.