More than the identity of the Kochi IPL team’s brand ambassador, what is of particular interest to me as a cricket buff is will the franchise owners leave no stone unturned to lure the hometown boy Sreesanth back. After all, he is literally Indian cricket’s prodigal son, but to state that he’s had a torrid time during his stint with the Kings XI Punjab is the mildest way to put it.

And as far as the brand ambassador is concerned, I am not sure if either Vidya Balan or John Abraham, who are from the Malayalee diaspora domestically-speaking, is the right choice.

Vidya is a good actress, but I don’t know if she fits the bill as a brand ambassador. Being professional is one thing, but being well turned-out is a different ball game altogether, particularly because of the IPL’s international appeal. And to be fair to the lady, she has been at the receiving end of barbs for her dress sense. Her mature image will definitely prove detrimental in this dumbed-down version of cricket.

John, on the other hand, is way too westernised even for a Bollywood hero and is more likely to promote soccer and biking than cricket. Of course, if the brand ambassadorship comes as a package deal with his girlfriend Bipasha Basu, it would be great!

I suppose the local lass (Asin) would be a far more apt choice.