Anwesha Dutta, Shaan, Debojit Saha and Harshit Saxena at HHI on Monday. Picture by Aranya Sen

Cricket ka superhit formula has now become reality show ka naya formula. Dance Premier League (DPL) on Sony may have scored a duck on the TRP charts, but that hasn’t deterred Music ka Maha Muquabla from cashing in on the IPL craze. The newest reality show on the block — set to air on STAR Plus this month — will have six teams, spurred on by six captains, fighting it out on the musical field to become the most popular voices on Indian television.

“Music ka Maha Muquabla will be the biggest singing show that the Indian television viewer has ever seen. It is in a way the world cup of all talent shows,” says producer-director Gajendra Singh, the man behind superhit reality shows Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and Voice of India.

Promising to keep the music lover glued to his TV set for two months, the show will have winners and finalists from past reality shows matching their vocal chords. The contestant line-up comprises the likes of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa champion Debojit Saha, music directors Toshi and Sharib, Voice of India winner Ravi Shukla and Sa Re Ga Ma Pa finalists Vineet Singh, Himani Kapoor and Raja Hassan.

The captains leading them will be as good as they come. From Shaan to Shankar Mahadevan, Mohit Chauhan to Mika, Shreya Ghoshal to Himesh Reshammiya, it is a star-studded skipper line-up, each representing a different region of the country.

Besides the IPL format, the uniqueness of the show lies in the fact that there will be no SMS voting and no eliminations. “It is a competition all right, but more importantly, it is the coming together of the best singing talents of the country,” says Singh.

Leading the eastern charge will be Bangali boy Shaan’s Strikers, comprising Debojit, Chhote Ustaad runner-up Anwesha Dutta and Voice of India finalist Harshit Saxena. And it was the quest for a fifth member that brought the quartet to Calcutta on Monday. “We consider ourselves the luckiest among all the teams because we represent a city that is synonymous with excellence in music,” smiled a tired but upbeat Shaan at HHI on Monday afternoon.

“I am a reality show veteran — this is my third — but there was no way I was going to pass up on a show of this magnitude,” said Debojit who was last seen in Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar.

For Golf Green resident Anwesha, Music ka Maha Muquabla presents a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to share the stage with the best in the music business. “It’s a dream come true for any aspiring singer to be on a show with Shaan dada, Shankarji, Himeshji and Shreyadi. I feel truly blessed,” gushed the 15-year-old.

With the intention of adding an “extra dimension” to their team, Shaan Strikers’s search for a fifth member saw a total of 2,200 aspirants queuing up! Finally, after two days of intense auditions, Nandini Deb and Ravi Trivedi emerged the chosen ones.

“I was expecting a lot out of Calcutta and as always, the city hasn’t disappointed me. I can safely say that the eastern team is the most versatile team on the show and we will rock it,” smiled Shaan.