IPL2 will be star studded this year not just because of the international cricket players but because of their lady loves who include models, actresses, TV stars, businesswomen and doctors. So Preity Zinta and Shilpa Shetty will have some keen competition in the glamour department with all the other lovelies who will be very visible in the cricket news in the weeks to come.
Reportedly, Sue Erasmus the girlfriend of JP Duminy and Shamone Jardim, girlfriend of Jacques Kallis, are both models and actress Jeanne Kietzmann, is the significant other to fast bowler Dale Steyn. Naturally their presence will immediately up the glamour factor this IPL.
Jessica Taylor, wife of Kevin Pietersen is the famous reality TV star who hit the news headlines for famously breaking down when she was eliminated from the reality show Dancing on Ice. The high profile couple is rather like the first couple of football, David Beckham and Victoria Beckham, known as Posh and Becks, who are so beloved of the British tabloid press. Pietersen and his wife enjoy (or suffer depending on how you look at it) a similar notoriety in the British tabloids.
The Bollywood – Indian cricket connection has been around for a long time now and Indian skipper M S Dhoni has now long been rumoured to have been dating actress Lakshi Rai, though the couple have regularly trotted out the ‘just friends’ line. If Ms Rai is in attendance at the IPL tournament we will witness the presence of one more Bollywood hottie or in this case Sandalwood hottie, since she belongs to Karnataka and is part of the South Indian film scene.
Sourav and danseuse Dona Ganguly’s Montague Capulet romance is well known, with the couple’s going against the wishes of the families and getting married. Also well known is Sachin Tendulkar’s pretty doctor wife of 13 years Anjali, who is also his senior by several years and is a well known persona of the cricket news.
Another WAG who ups the glam quotient is Katie Johnson, girlfriend of Andrew Symonds who was voted fairest cricket WAG in an internet poll. Reportedly, Dishan Tilakratne’s wife Manjula is already in town, credit card in hand; waiting to hit shops!
So our Bollywood stars who are also part team owners of the IPL teams; the most visible being Preity Zinta and Shilpa Shetty will have to up the stakes in the glamour if department if they are not to be outshone in this star studded IPL.