Mittu Chandilya reveals plans for Bangalore Raptors

Vijay Amritraj, Inga Chandilya and Mittu Chandilya unveiled the jersey of Bangalore Raptors

Mumbai, October 28, 2014: Mittu Chandilya, CEO, Air Asia India today unveiled plans for Bangalore Raptors, his Champions Tennis League team. Inga Chandilya, co-owner Bangalore Raptors and Indian tennis legend Vijay Amritraj joined Mittu at the press meet here in Bangalore. Bought in his personal capacity, Mittu recently acquired the Champions Tennis League franchise for Bangalore, the city which is also home to him and the airlines. Champions Tennis League is India’s first international tennis league jointly launched by Vijay Amritraj and All Indian Tennis Association.

Bengaluru’s newest professional sports franchise is called the ‘Bangalore Raptors’. It is the first time a professional sports league team has globally crowd-sourced their name, from online and offline platforms. ‘Bangalore Raptors’ unanimously emerged as the winning name! The Chandilyas liked the concept of being fierce, quick and smart. Inspired by one of the world’s most famous dinosaurs, the name defines the essence and DNA of the team. With smart picks from the player draft, ‘Bangalore Raptors’ is a great combination of international experience and Indian talent – Venus Williams, Feliciano Lopez, Thomas Enqvist and Ramkumar Ramanathan, as part of the team.

Sharing his plans for Bangalore Raptors, Mittu Chandilya, said, “This is the first sports venture that my wife Inga and I are getting together as co-owners, the team is like our fourth child. We have put in a lot of thought in choosing the team colours, designing the logo and jersey. Blood Red and Midnight Black, signify the ferocity of the Velociraptors, our team and the vibrant nature of the game. The three claw scratches in the logo symbolize our three sons, who are growing up to love the game of tennis.”

A former tennis player himself, Mittu trained under the legendary Ramesh Krishnan. “It is a proud moment to gift the vibrant city of Bangalore its own Tennis League team. Our fellow Bangaloreans can expect fireworks, entertainment, fun and all-round energy from the Bangalore Raptors”, he added.

Speaking on behalf of Champions Tennis League, Vijay Amritraj said, “We at CTL are delighted to welcome Mittu & Inga Chandilya’sBangalore Raptors. Bangalore has a rich history of tennis, and the Raptors with their strong team will give the city’s fans a lot to cheer about.”

Inga Chandilya, Mittu Chandilya and Vijay Amritraj pose with their rackets before the exhibition match

Another key highlight of the event was the announcement of the grand ‘The Raptors Ball’ that will bring together the style of sports and glamour of fashion to raise funds for The Mittu Chandilya Foundation. The Mittu Chandilya Foundation is a trust that works to enrich and empower social causes by unique social development and awareness campaigns.

Elaborating on the concept of the ‘The Raptors Ball’, Fashion Guru Prasad Bidapa said, “Bangalore Raptors is giving the citizens a reason to celebrate and adding cheer to the lives of the less privileged. ‘The Raptors Ball’ will be a high quotient glamour evening and the who’s-who-of-the-city will dine with star players of the Champions Tennis League. Proceeds of the evening will benefit Parikrma, a charitable educational institution for the underprivileged children.”

Champions Tennis League makes its debut on Indian tennis turf on November 17, 2014. The league promises the game lovers some phenomenal matches between the world’s best tennis players. Bangalore Raptors will play matches on November 17, 20 (in Bangalore), 21(in Bangalore), and 23.