Interview with Vivek Patni, Director, Wonder Cement - "Had to shortlist teams after receiving over 90,000 responses"

The inaugural Wonder Cement #Saath7 Cricket Mahotsav came to a wonderful end in the picturesque City of Lakes on Sunday as MSG Club from Bikaner were crowned champions. A unique initiative by Wonder Cement Ltd, this cricketing festival saw 4,000 teams from all over Rajasthan compete for the title. Cricket enthusiasts from all walks of life and from almost 10,000 villages and cities across the state participated in this competition and made it a resounding success.

Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda, Vivek Patni, Director at Wonder Cement, stated that the response was much more than what they had anticipated and that the organizers were forced to shortlist teams and players due to such a massive turnout. Here is the interview in full

How would you describe the response that this tournament has garnered?

It is truly overwhelming and humbling to see so many people from all across Rajasthan come out and participate in this venture. The response has been electric and people have been going crazy over the tournament. Initially, we received applications from almost 90,000 people, which took us by surprise. As a result, we were forced to screen and shortlist the players and teams. We began the competition with 4,000 teams, which shows that cricket is a great way to reach out to people.

Why did you choose sports to promote your brand name? And why cricket?

Sports is a platform that people enjoy and love to participate in. We wanted to ensure that we get maximum engagement and reach out to all corners of Rajasthan, something I can proudly say that we have done. Cricket, as we all know is an essential part of everybody’s daily life and with the #Saath7 initiative, we have given a platform to budding players to showcase their talents.

How is Wonder Cement helping in creating future international cricketers?

Apart from this tournament, we have also started a Wonder Cricket Academy in Udaipur, where we will employ some of the best coaches from all over the country and hone the skills of up and coming players. Also, the top four players from the #Saath7 tournament – three boys and one girl, will gain direct entry into the academy.

Will we see more of such events in the near future from your side?

Of course! We covered our home state of Rajasthan for the inaugural edition and after seeing the incredible response, we will surely look to have similar tournaments in the coming months. For the next editions, we will look to expand to other states such as Gujarat and Punjab, and feature even more teams.