Forty-eight young South African women are holding thumbs to see which 16 of them will go through to the finals of the Miss Bollywood IPL South Africa to be held at the Wanderers here next Sunday.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) has been selecting one finalist at every game to eventually have six women representing each of the eight teams in the series that is being played out in South Africa.
Voting for the 48 finalists started at midnight on Saturday, with votes closing at 18:00 SA time on Monday evening. Fans can cast their votes at the website www.iplt20.com.
The 16 finalists will all feature in a contest before the final game at the Wanderers next Sunday to vie for a prize of 50,000 rands in cash, a flight to India, and a guided tour through Bollywood that initially was also expected to include an audition for a Bollywood role, but that still appears to be uncertain.
The finalists include budding lawyers, accountants and auditors; businesswomen, students,, models, actresses, teachers and a radiographer.
The final two contestants were announced Saturday during games in Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg.
One of them was 24-year-old Phylicia Ramdin of Glenanda, south of Johannesburg. She was picked from the crowd attending the clash between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Deccan Chargers held at the Wanderers.
Ramdin is currently an insurance analyst but is determined to become a successful businesswoman: “I’m enthusiastic, positive and goal driven. I believe we need to always have a positive outlook on life and go after what you want with determination.”
“The IPL has been great, watching the cricketing talent, team strategies and the unity of the crowds that come to watch”, added Ramdin.
Earlier on Saturday Rohini Jaga of Port Elizabeth was selected as a contestant in the Miss Bollywood IPL South Africa competition during the DLF IPL game held at St. George’s Park.
Jaga, 20, who has a passion for figures and is currently a B.Com Accounting student at the University of Port Elizabeth, recently went on holiday to India: “My dad studied in India and took us on a journey through the subcontinent. It was vastly different to places I have visited before. I was very taken with the culture; it’s truly a land of contrasts and beauty.”
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