MUMBAI: Have you ever experienced the thrill of playing live cricket on Twitter? Hitting boundaries, playing the right shots and scoring runs through just tweeting… Pepsi IPL Tweet20, an exciting and engaging application on Twitter offers this experience and much more to cricket fans.

It revolves around the passionate spirit of the young Indian Pepsi IPL fan who enjoys watching this exciting format with the same irrepressible and unorthodox fervour reflected in the cricketers’ game on the field.Aimed at creating an ‘Oh Yes Abhi!’ playing experience for its fans on Twitter, this initiative is already creating waves with over 3500+tweepsenjoying this thrilling experience. It allows users to select their own team and play live cricket online.

While select winners get Pepsi IPL passes, the top 5 scorers get access to the VIP box in-stadia offering them ‘a money can’t buy’ experience. Pepsi IPL Tweet20 is a part of Pepsi’s robust social media plans to replicate the unparalleled fan experience it’s creating in-stadia and on-air. The first Pepsi IPL campaign starring Ranbir Kapoor captures the fans supporting multiple teams to bring alive the creative thought of ‘Yeh Team KabhiTohWoh Team Kabhi, Par Pepsi IPL Oh Yes Abhi!’.The same thoughtis replicated in all other initiatives planned around Pepsi IPL – whether its in-stadia fan experiences or on-line innovations.

Speaking on this latest innovation, PepsiCo India senior director– marketing (Colas, Juices & Hydration) Homi Battiwalla said, “This format of cricket is entertaining, glamorous and action-packed… our Pepsi IPL Tweet20 application on Twitter offers all this and much more to cricket fans on Twitter. It takes forward our objective of creating an unparalleled fan experience in-stadia to online and therefore, allows us to engage with cricket lovers on Twitter like never before. We’ve seen great response of the application so far and look forward to take it to the next level as we go along.”

Pepsi Tweet20is a twitter API based application which brings the excitement of playing cricket onto twitter. Pepsi India twitter handle (@PepsiIndia) tweets a particular type of ball (Short Pitched Bouncer on Middle Stump, etc.) to which users reply with the most appropriate selection of shot (User’s bat). Tweeting the correct shots fetches runs and the wrong shots cost wickets. Unlocking special shots gets users bonus runs. Besides this, users also need to complete tasks during the game which earns them Pepsi crowns. These Pepsi crowns can be redeemed at any time of the day, for bonus skill/wickets/free hit to increase their score. Apart from winning crowns and bonuses the fans have got an opportunity to play the game with competitive level as they upgrade their skills and strike rate according to how they play, and in addition to that they can also select their teams. By integrating twitter with Pepsi IPL & television, the brand has raised the bar of entertainment bringing the fans much closer to their players.

The contest has 20 matches divided into 5 pools of four matches each. Each match has 12 balls (tweets). The fun started on the 1st April with two matches everyday (of two hours each). Each pool winner gets a chance to witness matches from the exclusive Pepsi VIP Box. http://tweet20.pepsiohyesabhi.com/. So why wait? Go Play it Oh Yes Abhi!

A lot more engaging and exciting contests and applications are planned across social mediums for Pepsi IPL fans as the tournament progresses…