Singapore Slammers

Singapore Slammers
SportTeam tennis
Founded2014 (2014)
Folded2016
LeagueInternational Premier Tennis League
Team history2014–2016
Based inSingapore
StadiumSingapore Indoor Stadium
ColorsRed, Green    
OwnerSunil Gavaskar Kishan Gehlot Shashi Kiran Shetty Ajay Sethi Avi Bhojani
PresidentVikas Gehlot
Head coachPurav Raja
Joshua Eagle (2014)
Championships1(2015)
BroadcastersSingTel
Websitewww.singaporeslammers.com

The Singapore Slammers (officially the DBS Singapore Slammers pursuant to a sponsorship agreement with DBS Bank) were a tennis team based in the city state of Singapore that competed in the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL). It is one of the four charter franchises which took part in the IPTL's inaugural 2014 season.

Team history

Founding of franchise

On 21 January 2014, IPTL announced that one of the charter franchises for the league's inaugural 2014 season would be based in Singapore.[1][2] The team was founded by Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar and international business executives Kishan Gehlot, Shashi Kiran Shetty, Avi Bhojani, and Ajay Sethi. Gehlot is the chairman of East African real estate development and healthcare conglomerate Intex Group. Shetty is chairman of Allcargo Logistics Limited. Sethi is chairman of Channel 2 in Dubai.[3] They collectively invested US$15 million to own the franchise.[4]

Inaugural draft

The Singapore franchise participated in the IPTL inaugural draft on 2 March 2014, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Players selected by Singapore were[5]

Player IPTL Category
Men
United States Andre Agassi Icon players
Czech Republic Tomáš Berdych Category A
Australia Lleyton Hewitt Category B
Australia Patrick Rafter Past champions
Brazil Bruno Soares Doubles players
Australia Nick Kyrgios Uncategorized
Women
United States Serena Williams Icon players
Slovakia Daniela Hantuchová Category C

Team name

By May 2014, the team was being referred to as the Singapore Lions.[6] By June 2014, the Lions had become known as the Singapore Slammers.[7]

Home venue

On 4 August 2014, the Slammers announced that their home matches would be played at Singapore Indoor Stadium.[8]

First coach

On 27 October 2014, Joshua Eagle was named the Slammers' first coach.[9]

Inaugural season

Main article: 2014 Singapore Slammers season

On 28 November 2014, the Indian Aces defeated the Slammers, 26–16, in the first match in IPTL history.[10]

The Slammers' first home match will be on 2 December 2014, against the Manila Mavericks.[11]

Television coverage

On 7 November 2014, IPTL announced it had reached an agreement for the Singapore television broadcasting rights with SingTel.[12]

Sponsorship

On 20 November 2014, DBS Bank Ltd announced that it had become the Slammers' title sponsor.[13]

For the 2015 Season, local Singapore company UD Group, together with one of the best known faces and voices of global cinema, Amitabh Bachchan acquired the team and renamed the team OUE Singapore Slammers.

Current roster

As of 17 December 2015[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Mahesh Bhupathi Launched IPTL in Melbourne". Jagran Josh. 22 January 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  2. ^ "Mumbai One of the Franchises in Cash-Rich International Premier Tennis League". CNN IBN Live. 21 January 2014. Archived from the original on 21 January 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  3. ^ Hegde, Prajwal (19 June 2014). "IPTL: Sunil Gavaskar to Co-own Singapore Team". The Times of India. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  4. ^ "Gavaskar Buys Stake in Singapore IPTL Franchise". The Free Press Journal. 20 June 2014. Archived from the original on 2 December 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  5. ^ Briggs, Simon (2 March 2014). "Andy Murray Signs for Bangkok As Premier Tennis League Prepares for Take-Off". The Telegraph. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  6. ^ "Bhupathi's IPTL Opener Moved to Manila from Bangkok". The Times of India. 10 May 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  7. ^ Ousman, Allaam (25 June 2014). "Djokovic Leads UAE Royals at Inaugural IPTL: Dubai Will Host Finale of $1 Million Tournament from December 11–13". Emirates 24/7. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  8. ^ Chen, May (4 August 2014). "Tennis: Tickets to International Premier Tennis League Go on Sale from Aug 20". The Straits Times. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  9. ^ "International Premier Tennis League Announces Coaches for Inaugural Edition". Spicy Stars Mumbai. 28 October 2014. Archived from the original on 1 June 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  10. ^ "28th Nov'14: Match 1 Report: Micromax Indian Aces vs. DBS Singapore Slammers" (PDF). International Premier Tennis League. 28 November 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 December 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  11. ^ "Schedule". International Premier Tennis League. Archived from the original on 23 November 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  12. ^ "Coca Cola International Premier Tennis League to be Broadcast in More Than 125 Countries Worldwide" (PDF) (Press release). International Premier Tennis League. 7 November 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  13. ^ "DBS Presents "DBS Singapore Slammers", an All-Star Tennis Line-up Including Serena Williams and Andre Agassi in Ground-Breaking Tennis Competition". DBS Bank. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  14. ^ "IPTL concludes second draft, adds new team".

External links