IPL: Deccan Chargers ties up with SMS GupShup

Televisionpoint.com Correspondent | Hyderabad
After a poor first season in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Deccan Chargers, the Hyderabad based IPL franchise, wants to leave no stone unturned in its quest for a superior performance in the second season.

Apart from on-field measures, the team is going that extra mile to engage its fans for the coming season. It has tied up with SMS GupShup, the mobile community platform, to leverage the penetration of mobile phones.

Deccan Chargers and GupShup have come together to create a mobile community, called DC, where fans can become members free of cost and interact with the players, coach and the team management.

"The passion and involvement of a true fan is a tremendous opportunity waiting to be harnessed. Engaging with our fans on the SMS platform enables interaction to a large target audience who may not have access to our web based fan club." says Venkat Reddy, vice-president, Deccan Chargers.

The DC community not only allows fans across India and other cricketing nations to join and communicate but also to participate as one team, thus giving them the opportunity to share the excitement of the sport.

"They can subscribe to receive team updates, including messages directly from players and coaches, can ask questions, submit suggestions and send wishes to their favourite players," Chirag Jain, vice-president, SMS GupShup, said.

Moreover, members can participate in quiz contests, games and win prizes, including tickets to matches, as well as discuss and debate with other fans. They can also download team-related mobile content including ring tones, and wallpapers.