MUMBAI: For the second time in succession, Big 92.7 FM Hyderabad has inked a deal with Deccan Chronicle's IPL franchise Deccan Chargers to be their official radio partner. Under the terms of the agreement, all Big 92.7 FM stations in Andhra Pradesh (Hyderabad, Vizag and Tirupati) will be extending their support to Deccan Chargers.

Says Big 92.7 FM Hyderabad station head Ramesh Bhaskar, "The radio station had big plans if the matches were held in India. We were planning to entertain the in-stadia crowd through lots of contests around Deccan Chargers. We were planning to have live booths in stadiums but unfortunately those plans went awry. But what we continue to do is to explore all options to charge the team from back home."

As part of the new plan, the radio station has started airing promos supporting Deccan Chargers titled Deccan Chargers Dhumle Pandi. The radio station will air exclusive interviews of the players of Deccan Chargers.

"We will host 'Radio Cricket' a contest around Deccan Chargers which will be aired on days of the home matches. Also, we plan to give away exclusive Deccan Charges merchandises to our contest winners. Additionally, our OB vans branded with Deccan Chargers will roam around the state taking messages from listeners which will be later aired as part of celebrating Deccan Chargers", adds Bhaskar.

The radio station is not sending its listeners to watch Deccan Chargers match live in South Africa. "Sending listeners to South Africa to watch the matches involving Deccan Chargers is not part of the deal. We have tied up with hotels in Hyderabad for example, 'Platinum' where listeners will get a chance to see the match on the big screen," explains Bhaskar.

Big 92.7 FM is in advanced talks with other IPL franchises and is looking at closing deals with them shortly.

The radio station has not signed up with any other radio station in South Africa for the IPL updates. "We have not yet thought about partnering with any external media for updates on IPL either. The Deccan Chronicle team, which is in South Africa, will be giving us all the updates on the IPL matches," adds Bhaskar.