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Enrique to open Champs League T20

30 August 2010

Spanish singing star Enrique Iglesias brings his show Enrique Live to South Africa on 9 September to kick off the second edition of the Champions League Twenty20 cricket tournament.

The Champions League Twenty20 is an international short-format cricket competition between club teams from India, Australia, England, South Africa, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and West Indies. Matches will be played in Durban, Johannesburg, Centurion outside Pretoria, and Port Elizabeth.

Iglesias will perform at the opening of the tournament at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on 10 September, as well as in a special concert, Enrique Live, at Joburg's Emmarentia Botanical Gardens the day before

• Locnville for Champs League T20 concert

This will be the star's third visit to the country; he previously hosted two sold-out tours to South Africa in 2004 and 2007.

Airtel Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20) chairman Shashank Manohar said Iglesias's concert would be a major boost for the tournament.

"Enrique is a big hit with South African fans and there is no doubt he will light up the Bull Ring on 10 September," Manohar said. "It is going to be spectacular."

Manohar said the Twenty20 has brought out cricket's fun side, and that entertainment was part and parcel of the stadium experience. He said the CLT20 was going to be a 23-day joyride of top-class twenty20 over cricket complemented with great family entertainment.

In an interview, Iglesias said that he was proud to come to South Africa.

"The support of the fans is heart-warming, and I look forward to performing in September. South Africa is a special place, and after Spain's World Cup win, it holds even more significance for me," he said.

The 35-year-old Spanish pop music singer and songwriter, who has sold over 55 million albums worldwide in both English and Spanish and is well known for the hit "Hero", started his musical career on a Mexican recording label called Fonovisa.

He became one of the most popular artists in Latin America and in the Latino market in the United States, and the biggest seller of Spanish language music albums for a number of years.

Before the turn of the millennium, he made a crossover into the mainstream English language market, signing a unique multi-album deal with Universal Music for an approximate extraordinary R350-billion with Universal Music Latino to release his Spanish albums and Interscope to release English albums.

In 2010, he parted with Interscope and signed with another Universal Music Group label, Universal Republic.

Tickets for the Enrique Live concert on 9 September 2010 at Emmarentia Botanical Gardens are available from Computicket from R330. These tickets can be purchased online via computicket or by calling +27 (0)83 915 8000.

Tickets for the Airtel CLT20 are being priced from R30, and are also available via computicket, or via telephone on +27 (0)83 915 8000.

Fans can also purchase tickets directly from the host venues.

SAinfo reporter and City of Johannesburg