Lasting impact: Virat Kohli credits Mark Boucher's impact in early RCB days
Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter Virat Kohli said former Proteas star Mark Boucher had the biggest impact in his debut Indian Premier League season in 2008.
Reflecting on Boucher's influence, Kohli appreciated the South African taking his time to work on his game to help him adjust to the demands of international cricket.
Kolhi, who has been with RCB for 17 years, is leading their charge for a maiden IPL title.
For more IPL news, please visit News24's dedicated section.
India and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star Virat Kohli has credited former Proteas wicketkeeper Mark Boucher for the influence he had on him during the formative years of his career.
Kohli, who is celebrating 17 years at RCB, spoke to the franchise's official podcast on YouTube about his time with them since the inception of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008.
The IPL changed the landscape of cricket in India and the rest of the world as it had homegrown stars mixed with an influx of international players.
RCB local stars in the inaugural season included Rahul Dravid, Wasim Jaffer, Zaheer Khan, and Anil Kumble with the likes of Boucher, Jacques Kallis, Ross Taylor and Dale Steyn filling the international spaces.
As Kohli was a rookie at the time, he was nervous about being in the presence of his Indian heroes but was unsure as to what to expect of the internationals in the RCB changing room.
Looking back at his debut IPL season with the franchise in 2008, Kohli put into perspective the impact of these senior players at the beginning of his career, with Boucher standing out.
'Actually, out of all the players that I played with initially, Mark Boucher had the biggest impact on me as a young kid,' he said.
'He was the only guy I saw who came in with the mindset 'I'm going to help the young players', and he saw me play and saw a bit of potential. He figured out what my weaknesses could be if I wanted to go to the next level; this is what I need to do without me asking.
'He said, 'I've seen you play; we need to work on this and that and a couple more things'. So, he took me to the nets and said, ' 'You need to work on the short ball, no one is going to give you a chance in international cricket if you can't pull the ball'.
'He was hitting these tennis balls at me at a quick pace, and I said, 'If this is what's going to take [to make it in international cricket], I don't think I'll make it to the next level'. He really kept at it, and I started becoming better,' Kohli said.
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He added the honest conversations he got from Boucher pushed him.
'I remember it was a game we were playing in Kolkata or Chennai, he told me, 'When I come back to commentate in India in three or four years from now, if I don't see you playing for India, you would have done a disservice to yourself'.
'He stunned me with the conversation we had, and that pushed me in a direction where I said, 'I need to start looking at how I can become better'. He had a massive impact on me in those early years.'
The net sessions with Boucher planted the seed of hard work and determination in Kohli that's seen him go on to become one of the world's best batters.
'I was very realistic about my abilities because I had seen a lot of other people play and I did not feel like my game was close to theirs,' said Kohli.
'The only thing I had was the determination and if I wanted to make my team win, I was willing to do anything and that was the very reason I got the chance to play for India initially.
'I was never looked at as this outright game-winner who can change the game from everywhere, but I had this thing of 'I'm going to stay in the fight, I'm never going to give up'.
'That very thing that God blessed me with helped me to improve my game, technique and everything. I'm never shy to admit that I was not the most technically sound or naturally gifted player; I evolved a lot while I was playing because I was very keen to learn and get better,' he said.
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CNN
38 minutes ago
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Sports betting is legal and growing more popular. Harassment of athletes by angry gamblers is rising too
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New York Times
38 minutes ago
- New York Times
Finding Jordon Hudson: What a New England road trip reveals about Bill Belichick's girlfriend
The left turn sneaks up on you, interrupting the wall of towering trees hugging both sides of this winding two-way road in suburban New England. Through the clearing, an electronic gate comes into view, blocking whatever lies beyond. Unless Google Maps has malfunctioned, this is the place — or more accurately, the culmination. Stop No. 17 on a two-day trek across New England in search of the answer to a question that has captivated the sports world: Who is Jordon Hudson? Advertisement Hopefully, an address on the other side of that gate can provide insight on Hudson beyond her role as the increasingly famous 24-year-old girlfriend of Bill Belichick, who won six Super Bowls as coach of the New England Patriots and is almost 50 years her elder. Official filings show that the listed headquarters for all 16 of Hudson's limited liability companies is located here, nestled somewhere in this private golf community south of Boston. As my rented silver Chevy Trailblazer idles in the entrance lane earmarked for guests, a security guard slides open a glass door and lumbers out to greet me. Hi, I'm here to see Joshua Christian? That's the listed resident agent on most of Hudson's LLCs. 'Does he know you're coming?' Uh… no. 'Go on in.' The gate arm lifts. I'm in. I take the first left, down a long driveway dotted with multi-million dollar homes that runs parallel to the course's seventh and eighth holes. Finally, jackpot. A sprawling brown two-story with the matching address posted to the left of the garage — which, conveniently, is open. The trunk is also popped on a Mercedes sedan parked in the driveway, with a Callaway golf bag and two pairs of grass-stained sneakers lying nearby. Somebody's home. Admittedly, expectations are low. In my head, Christian opens the door and I explain why I'm interrupting his Saturday evening sunset. If he declines to talk — the heavy favorite — I thank him for his time and reverse down the driveway. Or maybe he actually shares a personal anecdote or two about Hudson that illuminates her character or ambitions. I'm practically rehearsing the options as I ascend the two short steps to the door, mash the electronic black doorbell and back away. Silence — and then the door jostles open. But it's not Christian, nor Hudson, who emerges. Instead, it's a familiar face with a recognizable mop of rustled grey hair — a silhouette I've seen stalking NFL sidelines for decades. Oh! Hey, Bill. How ya doing? The impetus for my 34-hour, 573.5-mile journey along the Northeastern coastline? Public fascination with Hudson, much of which stems from how she has reshaped the personal brand of arguably the greatest football coach of all time. 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Head nearly five hours south — through one-stoplight towns, past countless roadside blueberry stands — until you hit Boston, where Hudson spent 1,000 hours studying cosmetology, and where she now owns multiple rental properties as part of a burgeoning $8 million real estate portfolio. From there, it's a curl around the coast to the tiniest tip of Cape Cod, Provincetown, Mass., where Hudson spent her formative years in the self-advertised 'gayest town in America.' Advertisement That unconventional backstory explains, at least partially, what led Hudson to becoming Belichick's 'creative muse,' as he wrote in his new book — and, in turn, a cultural fixation. 'I consider her a supernova,' says Dougie Freeman, a celebrity hairstylist and owner of West End Salon & Spa in Provincetown, who was Hudson's boss for several years. 'Our motto here at the salon is, 'Let us help you use what you've got to get what you want' … and maybe Jordon Hudson is a good example of that.' Belichick's NFL heyday was defined as much by winning as it was instructing his players to 'ignore the noise,' to block out any real or perceived distractions. Yet six months into his UNC tenure — before he's coached a single game on his $30 million guaranteed contract — Belichick's time in Chapel Hill has been defined by questions about Hudson's role. While the coach has maintained he has both a 'personal and professional' relationship with Hudson, who handles his promotional opportunities away from North Carolina, the line has proven to be blurry amid a series of scrutinized episodes. Hudson's Instagram profile, meanwhile, with its 110,000 followers, has been like a window into another world: one where Belichick, 73, posed as a fisherman next to her in a mermaid Halloween costume. 'This relationship has kind of pushed him into a different realm,' says Alice Leppert, associate professor of media and communication studies at Ursinus College. 'There's a clash of imagery between who fans knew him as, this one particular type of coach, versus who we're seeing in the public eye now. So it may just be that clash, that mismatch, that has gotten so many people's attention.' Amid Hudson's rise, her family's origins in Hancock, Maine, have brought attention to the 2,500-person town in the northern shadow of Acadia National Park, where Hudson was born in anonymity. Her parents, Heath and Lee, owned Frenchmans Bay Fisheries, a mussel and seaweed farming business they operated out of their rural ranch. Miss Daisy, Heath's dragger, made local headlines more than a time or two for being unceremoniously beached during sudden low tides. Advertisement Eventually, though, local fishing regulations changed, straining the Hudson's operation. That upbringing, as Hudson said both at the Miss Maine USA pageant and in various social media posts, is what sparked her passion for saving Maine fishermen. These days, the town named after founding father John Hancock is less known for its fishing scene. Instead, it's better known as the home of a summer program that trains orchestra conductors — or as the filming site of the 1989 horror film 'Pet Sematary,' based on Stephen King's novel. The local economy isn't all that's turned over. Most of the Hudsons no longer live in the area — except for Heath, who still resides in the family's old home. He was formally awarded ownership of the charcoal-colored house Hudson grew up in just last month, according to court records viewed by The Athletic. But more than a decade after Lee and Heath separated, and after Lee and her children left Hancock, there are still visible signs of Hudson's childhood. A dilapidated wooden shed out back, with a tattered sign advertising scallops. The rotting tree house next to it, which Heath once built for Hudson and her sisters to play in. David Johnston — who was born and raised in Hancock, and who now oversees its historical society — can't speak to the Hudsons personally, but he does have something to share. In a side room of the historical society, Johnston leans over and opens a long filing cabinet, where he maintains folders on every family that is, or was, part of Hancock. He plucks out two. The first folder provides a peek at the previous four or five generations of Hudsons. There's a newspaper article honoring Heath's Eagle Scout project, a footbridge over a swamp in a bird sanctuary at nearby Tunk Lake. There are children's drawings and scribbles by Jordon's sister Jenna; a birth announcement for another sister, Becca. Obituaries, communion pamphlets, records of school math meets. But save for a blank Frenchmans Bay Fisheries merchandise order form, featuring a picture of young Jordon and her sisters, there's no mention of Hudson. That's for the other folder, Johnston explains. He'd seen Hudson's name pop up in relation to Belichick, but never thought much of it — until the Bangor Daily News, his preferred local paper, started posting articles about her. At that point, Johnston made an executive decision. Advertisement 'This is something,' he says, 'we should probably record for future generations.' There's been no shortage of news to chronicle. Belichick requested his girlfriend be copied on certain UNC emails weeks into his tenure, around the same time she offered unsolicited advice to school communications staffers. In late February, as North Carolina was finalizing a deal with HBO's 'Hard Knocks,' she played an 'instrumental role' in the production pulling up stakes. All that came before her viral, off-camera interruption of a CBS interview, when Belichick was asked how the couple met. (They say it was on a 2021 flight to Palm Beach.) Most recently, the school denied a report that Hudson had been 'banned' from the football facility. The parade of headlines has done nothing to slow criticism locally and beyond. 'I am a longtime UNC fan and cannot believe you are stuck with a coach who is clearly being run by a woman who is young enough to be his granddaughter dominating football practice and interviews,' one longtime supporter wrote to the school's president, according to emails obtained by The Athletic. 'It's ridiculous, won't end well, and makes UNC look foolish.' It's that view of Hudson that comes through most strongly in her official Hancock folder. The bulging collection reads as if Hudson suddenly parachuted into the world, with no meaningful backstory beyond her relationship with Belichick. There's an article about her teasing a statement on social media in the wake of the CBS interview. A New York Post story from last July recaps a romantic bike ride the couple took on Nantucket. A review of Hudson's Miss Maine USA pageant performance, another about her being likely to decline a 'Dancing With The Stars' invite. There is even a meme tucked into the back: Hudson on the red carpet at the roast of Tom Brady … next to a life-sized Sugar Daddy candy. Whenever this story runs, Johnston asks, could someone please email him a copy? Hudson's cosmetology career began inside a pink–doused proving ground in Ptown. While still in high school, Hudson started working at Dougie Freeman's salon, which he's owned and operated since 1982. She quickly proved 'very gifted' at henna tattoo, with impressive hand-eye coordination that allowed her to draw intricate designs. She also did hair, sometimes while wearing a Miss Massachusetts sash. Advertisement 'My Jordon' — as Freeman, a Provincetown institution, calls her — fit right in at the fabulous parlor tucked inside a nondescript white house on Commercial Street. Over the years, a host of celebrities — the late Anthony Bourdain, Margaret Cho, the cast of 'Queer Eye' — have sunk into Freeman's flamingo-pink chairs. 'My parents always said,' Freeman jokes, 'that people who live on the Cape year-round have something to hide.' Hudson — plus her mother and siblings — moved here around 2010, after Frenchmans Bay finally went under. The census from the same year found that Provincetown registered the highest rate of same-sex couples of any municipality in the country. Evidence of that is everywhere, including the countless variations of pride flags flying down Commercial Street. Hudson's mother, Lee, now co-owns one of Ptown's dueling LGBTQ+ sex shops, Toys of Eros, on that very thoroughfare, where a window decal of a nun smoking a cigarette and an accompanying slogan welcome couples of all ages and orientations: More toys than the Devil has Sinners … 'Growing up in this town, she saw how alternative relationships work. They can work,' Freeman says of Hudson. 'I think that validated it for her.' Hudson eventually enrolled at the New England Hair Academy, which is housed in a renovated drug store just outside of Boston. Even after enrolling at Bridgewater State University, where she studied philosophy and helped the cheer squad win two national titles, Hudson made it a priority to avoid becoming a 'beauty school drop out,' as she wrote in one Instagram post from November 2019. In that same note, she explained how she spent one 12-week period juggling cosmetology school during the day — usually until about 4:30 p.m. — before making the hour-long commute back to BSU for cheerleading practice, which usually ended around 10:30 p.m. Those experiences ultimately led to Hudson forming two of her earliest LLCs — 'Roosevelt Beauty' and 'Roosevelt Glam,' both of which date to December 2023 and derive from her full name, Jordon Isabella Roosevelt Hudson — to pursue opportunities related to cosmetics, hygiene products and event styling. Others she's created since — all since 2023, according to documents obtained by The Athletic — range from real estate oversight to book and movie production, from trademark and copyright management to information technology (IT) solutions, from business operations to merchandising. At least four of the companies are directly affiliated with her boyfriend: Chapel Bill LLC; All BB Team LLC; Coach Show LLC; and BB's Version LLC — the last of which is a play on the strategy Taylor Swift used to reclaim the intellectual property rights on several of her songs. Advertisement 'People in Ptown are veeeeery resourceful,' Freeman adds. 'Many of us wear many hats to make money.' Freeman says he last spoke to Hudson via a series of internet DMs about two weeks before our visit, after he spoke to another outlet for a profile on 'my most famous employee.' How's she doing? What did she say? 'She seems to be doing fine,' Freeman responds. 'She said, 'I understand you're going to do an interview with the Washington Post.' And I said, 'I said a lot of nice things about you, I think you'll be pleased with it.' And I assume she was.' Even that brief encounter makes Freeman, as far as I can ascertain, the only person who actually knows Hudson — who stays in touch with her, at least to some extent — who has agreed to speak about her. That isn't for a lack of trying. Beyond her own reticence to be interviewed, Hudson's circle has similarly bunkered down — in many ways, in Belichick-esque fashion. A dozen-plus friends of Hudson who The Athletic reached out to did not respond. Her business partners — Christian, plus the other lawyer who helped organize her LLCs, David Jensen — are similarly silent. Hudson's pageant and cheer coaches, from the high school level on up, also ignored multiple outreaches on multiple platforms. Other than Freeman, the closest I get to anyone who actually knows Hudson? Surprisingly, her parents. Lee picks up the cold call, but upon learning there's a reporter on the other end of the line, interrupts: 'I have nothing to say about that.' Click. Heath at least hears out my pitch before politely declining. 'No, thank you!' Hudson's agency in insulating herself from legacy media — even as her growing fame shatters the barrier between private citizen and public figure — is part of what makes her story so lack of information about her effectively brightens the spotlight trained on Hudson's every move (or Instagram story). Advertisement 'It empowers a lot of internet sleuthing,' says Leppert, also the co-editor of Celebrity Studies. 'Certainly I think she qualifies as a celebrity, because look at the amount of attention that has been focused on her — and the fact that she is actively courting that attention, right? That Instagram is public. She is constantly posting photos with narratives of her relationship on it.' That relationship, and everything that has come with it, is why Freeman says he no longer views Hudson as just 'one of the most beautiful young women I've ever seen.' Have you seen the CBS interview, Freeman asks? Or her Dunkin' Super Bowl commercial, alongside Ben Affleck? 'When you do that, honey,' Freeman says, 'you've arrived.' He notes that though he's never met Belichick, he does not understand how anyone can consider the couple anything but a 'we,' given all that's transpired publicly. 'You know,' he adds, pausing for dramatic effect, 'she's not less than.' If anything, Freeman says? There's room in his eyes for Hudson's star to grow. 'It's about Jordon Hudson, the book. It's about Jordon Hudson, the movie. It's about Jordon Hudson, the brand,' he adds. But before our visit ends, Freeman lowers his voice for the first time all afternoon. He's read much of the backlash Hudson has received, especially after the CBS interview, and worries about the toll that may take on her. After one of his previous stints with reality TV went wrong, Freeman knows firsthand how vitriol can overwhelm. 'Fame comes with some barbs,' he says soberingly, 'and it doesn't always come with fortune.' During the Miss Maine USA pageant in May, Hudson appeared to allude to the criticism: 'I'm hoping that anybody who's watching this finds the strength to push through whatever it is that they're going through — and embodies that hate never wins.' Back on the front porch inside the secluded golf community, it's tough to tell who is more surprised: Me … or Bill Belichick, who appears to have answered the door for a solicitor for the first time in a long time. But it's him all right, in the flesh, sporting a navy blue T-shirt and mesh Carolina blue gym shorts. His usually stoic expression is decidedly less so, though, replaced instead with something between confusion and unease. Advertisement There are, as you might expect, roughly a thousand questions ricocheting in my mind. On my search for Jordon Hudson … did I accidentally find her? Is she here, too? At no point in my search process did I expect to find Belichick. But here he was: at home, and at the headquarters of Hudson's litany of LLCs. As Freeman says, a true we. With less than 100 days until North Carolina's season opener against TCU, it's uncertain what Hudson's role in Belichick's orbit might become. But there's no doubt that the separation of love and sport will remain blurry. Also guaranteed? That the world will be watching, eagerly. After a brief whiteout, I realize it would be wise to introduce myself and explain why I'm here. Belichick tells me he doesn't know a Joshua Christian, who organized his girlfriend's LLCs. So if this isn't Christian's property, I ask, is it Belichick's? Silence. There's the coach everyone knows. Well, I continue, if Christian isn't here for an interview, would Belichick be up for one? He quickly declines. So then what would be the best way to facilitate an interview with you? 'Uh … do you have a card or something?' Belichick examines the card and says he'll have someone reach out. The end of our chance encounter, clearly, is near. But then I remember the two pairs of shoes in the front driveway and try extending the scene a few more seconds — all in the hope that maybe, just maybe, Hudson will appear. But attempts at small talk fall flat. Saturday night beckons, and Belichick has better things to do than strike up conversation with a stranger. Saying goodbye, he backsteps off the porch and into the residence. Then he politely shuts the door, away from any more prying eyes. — Additional reporting by The Athletic's Matt Baker. (Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; Jim Dedmon / Imagn Images, iStock)
Yahoo
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The Indian Premier League (IPL) Report 2025: $1.21 Billion Domestic Media Revenue Projected
A comprehensive analysis of India's premier T20 franchise. Uncover insights on media rights with Viacom18 and Star, sponsorship details, and social media stats. Dive into the IPL's commercial landscape and emerging trends in our latest report. Dublin, June 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "The business of the The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025" report has been added to report takes a deep dive into the franchise T20 competition in India. The report explores the broadcast rights linked to the competition and its participating teams. Specifically, it looks at the main media and sponsorship rights for the league, as well as the kit supplier and front-of-shirt partnerships across all 10 competing teams. The report also looks at the social media followings of these teams and the potential ticket revenue on offer throughout the season. Key Highlights The 2025 edition of the IPL is reported to generate $1.21 billion in domestic media revenue. Both Viacom18 and Star have agreed the broadcasting rights to the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the Indian Subcontinent. Viacom18, the pay-TV broadcaster, has also acquired the broadcasting rights across Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. 2025 will see a change to the way the tournament can be streamed in India. Unlike previous years, JioCinema provided viewers with free IPL streaming, however 2025 will see the tournament streamed on the JioHotstar platform, which has formed after the merging of JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar. In 2025, Mumbai Indians are estimated to generate the most sponsorship revenue across the 10 IPL teams. With 37 agreed brand partnerships for the 2025 season, Mumbai Indians are estimated to generate an estimated $25.03 million in sponsorship revenue. Dream11 have agreed to serve as the front-of-shirt sponsor for five of the 10 IPL teams throughout the 2025 edition of the tournament, Gujarat Titans, Kolkata Knight Riders, Lucknow Super Giants, Punjab Kings, and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Royal Challengers Bengaluru have agreed the largest kit-supplier deal in terms of annual value, being their partnership with PUMA. The agreement is valued at an approximate $700,000 per year. The Chennai Super Kings are the most followed IPL franchise across Facebook, X and Instagram, with over 42 million social media followers. In terms of year-on-year increase from 2024, Kolkata Knight Riders have experienced the largest increase in social media followers across the three platforms, in terms of both volume and percentage. The IPL is comfortably the most followed cricket franchise league across the three social media platforms, Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), and Instagram. In total, the IPL has reached 45.2 million followers across the three platforms. Virat Kohli is comfortably the most followed player on Instagram in the 2025 edition of the IPL; Kohli is in fact the most followed cricketer on Instagram, globally. The main aims of this report is to highlight commercial landscape across one of the biggest and most popular sports leagues in the world. The report breaks down these commercial partnerships by league and offers an extensive breakdown of the biggest deals for the competing teams. For those wanting an in-depth analysis of the Indian Premier League 2025, in the sense of both business and popularity. Company Coverage Includes: PUMA Six5Six Skechers playR India Emsports Wogn T10 Sports FanCode Eithad Airways Hero FinCorp Dream11 Lauritz Knudsen Luminous Power Technologies Qatar Airways Key Topics Covered: 1. Overview Executive Summary League Overview 2. IPL Media Landscape Media Revenue Boadcasters Breakdown Case Study 3. IPL Sponsorship Landscape Sponsorshop Portfolio Annual Deal Value Sector and Brand HQ Breakdown Partnership History 4. IPL Kit Supplier Market Kit Supplier Market Overview Annual Deal Value Brand Breakdown Partnership History 5. IPL Front-of-Shirt Market Front-of-Shirt Market Overview Annual Deal Value Sector Breakdown Brand HQ Partnership History 6. Team Profiles7. Team Sponsorship Landscape Team Sponsorship Landscape Summary Deal Volume by Team Annual Deal Value by Team Sector Volume Sector Annual Deal Value Brand HQ 8. Additional Revenue and Social Media Stadium Capacity Ticket Revenue Prize Money Breakdown Social Media Franchise Comparison Social Media Team Comparison Social Media Player Comparison 9. Women's Premier League (WPL) Overview Team Overview Sponrship Portfolio Broadcasters Breakdown and Domestic Media Revenue For more information about this report visit About is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. 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