The Walchand Group, which owns cricket website CricketNext.com, launched a new business initiative, 9Yards, a sports and entertainment company, at a function in Mumbai on Monday.

The company has signed on India's football skipper Baichung Bhutia, tennis ace Leander Paes, Australia's one-day captain Ricky Ponting and Bollywood actress Manisha Koirala as its clients.

The sports and entertainment company will offer an array of services like celebrity representation and management, turn-key event implementation, rights representation, consulting, merchandising et al.

Co-founder Sanjay Jha, managing editor of CricketNext.com, said it is the next step for his company since launching the cricket portal in 2000.

"There is a huge market for sports management in the country. We want to tap into that. There are a lot of companies eager to sponsor local events but don't know how to go about it or where to go. We will be their solution providers," said Jha, an MBA from the renowned Xavier Labour Relations Institute, Jamshedpur.

Pallavi Jha, co founder and wife of Sanjay, said she believes a strong management entity of the corporate sector in India would create interesting event properties and find appropriate sports and entertainment solutions in tune with brands and positioning strategies.

Navneet Sharma, its 33-year-old CEO, said the company would aim to attain the leadership positioning in the Indian subcontinent within the next 3-5 years.

Australia's World Cup-winning skipper Ricky Ponting will be the brand ambassador for CricketNext for a period of four years till the end of the next World Cup, in the West Indies in 2007.

Sanjay Jha said the choice of the celebrities signed on is based on their own slogan -- to go the whole nine yards.

"Ponting will hold lectures and write fortnightly columns for us. He will give us insights into team planning. Say, for example, he will tell us what was going on in the Australian dressing room after they scored 359 runs against India [in the World Cup final]. Did they think they had won the cup or were they wary? You will hear it all from the horse's mouth. He will also dedicate eight days for events and coaching clinics in India."

Besides the signing of Paes, Bhutia and Ponting, 9 Yards has also signed on Bollywood actress Manisha Koirala, who many believe is past her prime as a Bollywood heroine.

Sanjay Jha explained that Koirala has been doing quality cinema since the last three years and intends to extend her celebrity career.

"She can't do soft drink commercials anymore but will she be able to endorse bottled water? That is a question we will have to answer and execute an image makeover of her carefree personality," he added.

He emphasised the need to go beyond cricket in the country. He believes the time has come to support other sports like hockey, tennis, golf, football and squash.

"With Indian cricketers charging astronomical prices, you wonder if they are worth it after all. A Ricky Ponting is a much better and economical investment," said a member of the 9 Yards management.