8 Hottest TV Anchors In Cricket

Apart from the players, there are some behind-the-scene workers who make the game really appealing to the mass. One of them are the female anchors. The profession is a doubled-edged sword. While the female anchors are lauded for the glamour quotient they bring to the game, they also sometimes face criticism for not knowing the game.

We are talking about female TV anchors of IPL, who are responsible for increasing the entertainment quotient on and off the field. So here, we take a look at the hottest female anchors in IPL over the years.

Mandira Bedi

Someone who became famous for her sexy dressing, and sometimes zero knowledge of cricket, Mandira Bedi was one of the finest of IPL. She did the special IPL shows in 2009. Mandira wasn’t a part of the crew for IPL 2008, but when the tournament was shifted to South Africa next year for political reasons, she was in huge demand. With little or zero knowledge of cricket, Mandira managed to get the attention, thanks to her dressing style. She even presented the coverage of the 2010 Indian Premier League cricket on a British channel. But pregnancy and age got her sidelined from subsequent editions. Mandira Bedi can be credited with bringing glamour to cricket.

Lekha Washington

Lekha Washington is a household name in the Tamil Cinema Industry. Before trying her hands on the big screen, the pretty lady hosted IPL 2008 with former cricketer Ajay Jadeja. Lekha is not only an actress but a qualified filmmaker too. Before anchoring the inaugural IPL season, Lekha Washington was a Video Jockey on SS Music. She has hosted the popular show PCO and later Connect in 2006. Lekha has also hosted the Canadian T20 on international television which made her earn a call up for the 2008 IPL. Lekha has acted in some Tamil movies, Kettavan, Jayamkondaan and Kalyana Samayal Saadham.

Shonali Nagrani

Shonali Nagrani was one of the source of attraction in the first season of IPL. Shonali was the winner of Miss India International contest in 2003 and was one of the Top 5 Femina Miss India contestants. She was also the runner-up in the 2003 Miss International contest. She along with Lekha single-handedly took the glamour quotient by storm in the inaugural season of IPL. Apart from these, she also hosted Popcorn on Zoom TV and Great Indian laughter Challenge on Star One. Her other work includes co-host of 2010 T20 World Cup show on ESPN-Star Sports Network. She also hosted Cricket World Cup matches in South Africa. Shonali was also seen in the fifth season of the reality television show Big Boss.

Archana Vijaya

Archana Vijaya is one of the most popular female anchors of the tournament. Before being an anchor for IPL 2011, Archana has hosted shows on the Neo cricket channel. The beauty claimed she was not a cricket enthusiast and had zero knowledge of the game until she started hosting the cricket shows for broadcasters. Before anchoring, Archana was a VJ on Channel V and hosted season 2 of Getting Gorgeous in 2005. She was also the host of various Channel V’s other shows such as Freedom Express 1 and 2 before joining Neo Sports to host Tour Diary. She also joined Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Season 5 as a participant which aired on Colors TV in 2012.

Shibani Dandekar

Shibani Dandekar, a model and singer co-hosted Extraa Innings along with Archana Vijaya for Sony Max in 2011. An NRI from Australia, Shibani claimed to be a follower of cricket and promised to be on the ground to bring out the entertainment in cricket. Sister to popular anchor Anusha Dandekar, Shibani had her eyes set on Bollywood. She also opened a band named D-Major with her sisters Anusha and Apeksha. Shibani also credited Mandira Bedi for opening for inspiring women to anchor cricket shows. She also went on to host the finals of the Celebrity Cricket League in 2011. With her strong accent, Shibani became extremely popular for her confident attitude.

Rochelle Maria Rao and Karishma Kotak

In the IPL edition 2013, the glamour quotient was left to Rachelle Maria Rao and Karishma Kotak. Rochelle Maria Rao competed in the Pantaloons Femina Miss India South pageant in 2012 where she was first runner-up. She also participated in Femina Miss India contest in 2012 and emerged as the winner. She also went on to represent India at Miss International pageant held later that year. Karishma Kotak, the other female host of IPL 2013, was one of the contestants in Bigg Boss 6. She had been a presenter for a TV show called Spa Diaries. Karishma has acted in a few music videos, which included the tracks of British singer-songwriter Jay Sean, Sonu Nigam and Sapna Mukherjee. Karishma made her debut as an actress in the Telugu remake of Munnabhai M.B.B.S., Shankar Dada Zindabad in 2007.

Mayanti Langer

It is safe to say that Mayanti Langer is now the leading female anchor in the country as far as cricket is concerned. With STAR winning the IPL hosting rights, Mayanti has become the face of the IPL hosting. Wife of allrounder Stuart Binny, Mayanti has impressed one and all with her cricketing knowledge and hosting abilities.