Bangalore : Kannada superstar Puneet Raj Kumar is the new brand ambassador for the Bangalore Royal Challengers cricket team. He replaces Upendra, who cheered the team in the first two seasons of the India Premier League (IPL), and will be joined by actress Ramya.

Both Ramya and Puneet will have separate stands filled with the local team's supporters. "I am extremely happy to be part of a cheering crowd. I am happy to share some space with a hugely popular actor like Appu (as Puneet Raj Kumar is popularly called). Appu is a huge star and I got a break in films working in his second film 'Abhi'. I think Appu and me make a heady combination," said Ramya, who had been the brand ambassador earlier also.

The first match of the Bangalore Royal Challengers will kick-start March 16, on the Ugadi festival when Karnataka ushers in the new year. The home team will face Punjab King's XI. And Preity Zinta, co-owner of the Punjab team, will also be in Bangalore to cheer her side.

Many other Kannada actors will also take a break from their shooting schedules and add some glamour quotient to the cheering crowd. Actresses Aindrita Ray and Radhika Pandit are really keen to motivate their home team, while actor-director Kichcha Sudeep, an avid cricket fan and a good friend of Rahul Dravid, will also be part of the enthusiastic crowd.

Puneet's brother Shivaraj Kumar, who played for league matches in Chennai, said he will adjust his shooting dates to be part of the IPL matches whenever they are held in Bangalore. He is, of course, thrilled that his brother is the team's brand ambassador. Actress Ramya can't contain her excitement and says they will cheer until the Bangalore Royal Challengers win.

"We will cheer so strongly for the team that there can only be victory for us. The local team has progressed very fast from the first IPL and is on the threshold of creating history. Last year our team lost in the finals, but this time it would be victory for our team," said Ramya, who will be sitting on a terrace with 800 team supporters.