Pune Supergiants R. Ashwin, Rajat Bhatia, Scott Boland and Peter Handscomb interact with Delhi students on sports, careers and studies


May 12 2016,  20.05 PM IST || Pocket Press Release

Deakin University Partnership with IPL Rising Pune Supergiants Team

~Students meet cricketing stars on sidelines of event to mark association between Pune IPL team and Deakin University, Australia~

Pune Supergiants R. Ashwin, Rajat Bhatia, Scott Boland and Peter Handscomb interact with Delhi students on sports, careers and studies”.

Pune Supergiants R. Ashwin, Rajat Bhatia, Scott Boland and Peter Handscomb interact with Delhi students on sports, careers and studies

Picture of Deakin University along with IPL Pune Supergaints players

New Delhi, May 12, 2016: At an event held to celebrate the association between IPL league team Rising Pune Supergiants and Deakin University, Australia, students from various schools in Delhi interacted with Supergiant cricketing stars R. Ashwin, Rajat Bhatia, Scott Boland and Peter Handscomb. The objective of the event was to showcase this unique partnership and highlight the need for education, especially in sports and the importance of developing and mentoring talent from early on to build professional careers.

Pune Supergiants R. Ashwin, Rajat Bhatia, Scott Boland and Peter Handscomb along with representatives from the academia and industry joined the Australian High Commissioner to India, Her Excellency, Ms Harinder Sidhu, Mr. Raghu Iyer, CEO Rising Pune Supergiants and Professor Mike Ewing, Executive Dean, Faculty of Business and Law, Deakin University at the event to celebrate the partnership between Deakin University, Australia and Rising Pune Supergiants.


Deakin University, ranked in the top 10 worldwide for its Sport Management programs and one of Australia's most awarded public centres of higher education signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Rising Pune Supergiants, as the Official Sports Management University Partner for the Season Nine of the prestigious Indian Premier League 2016.

Professor Mike Ewing, Executive Dean, Business & Law, Deakin University said, “Sport is a growing industry and with the increased focus on health and active lifestyles, the need for experts in this field has never been greater and there is a huge potential in India.  Deakin’s courses in sport are comprehensive and diverse, enabling studies in exercise and sport science, the business of sport, sport development, health and physical education and sport technology.”


Speaking at the event, Mr Raghu Iyer, CEO, Rising Pune Supergiants said, “Our partnership with Deakin is a significant step towards enhancing the quality, not only in cricket, but across sports in India.  Through the association we aim to work towardsresearch and learning, both at academic and the industry levels. We are excited about the partnership and look forward to helping create ever-growing value in the years to come.”

Speaking on the association, the Australian High Commissioner to India, Her Excellency, Ms HarinderSidhu said, “Australia and India are natural partners on sports engagement, particularly capacity building and skills development.  It is encouraging to note Deakin’s commitment to engage with Rising Pune Supergiants to enhance sports education not only at the academic level but also at the industry level.  This is a great example of Australia’s growing education relationship with India and we hope more Australian institutions will seek to partner with Indian organisations in this developing sector.”


The Memorandum of Understanding,which was signed on 8th April 2016, by Professor Jane den Hollander, Vice Chancellor & President, Deakin University, Australia and Mr. Raghu Iyer, CEO, Rising Pune Supergiants is based on Deakin University’s strategic objectives of widening access to education and building opportunities in new areas like sports to make a difference to the communities it serves. Rising Pune Supergiants, one of the newest teams in IPL 2016, shares this greater objective of nurturing and promoting promising Indian talent through such partnerships.

Through the association, the organisations will work on promoting Sports Education in India through research and master classes in critical areas of sports like marketing, branding, sponsorships, development, fan engagement and player performance analysis.

From a Sport Management perspective there are strong outcomes expected out of the partnership through strategic activities, which include various engagements like student internships, research in areas of importance for development of sports and activities to promote sports education in the region.

To learn more about sport management at Deakin and to participate in these workshops, please write to southasia@deakin.edu.au