Andy Murray confirms playing in the Indian Premier Tennis League

Andy Murray is looking forward to playing in the Indian Premier Tennis League and he believes the million-dollar event will open new regions for the sport, creating more opportunities for the players.

The British number one will be will lead Manila Mavericks in Mahesh Bhupathi's league which starts on the 28th of November in the Philippines.

"Attracting new fans to the sport is important and I'm looking forward to helping take tennis somewhere new. The IPTL format is something that has never been done before and there are many different aspects that make it interesting," Murray said in an IPTL release. Murray, who won back-to-back titles in Vienna and Valencia which have kept him on course for playing the World Tour Finals in November, gave a thumbs up to the format of the league.

"The shot clock is a great idea and will speed play up and make tennis even more exciting for the fans with the shorter breaks between points.

"The fact that every game counts toward the team score is also a great idea, you're not just playing for yourself, you have to think about your team mates as well and put them in as strong a position as possible at the end of your own set in the match," he said.

Murray's teammates would be Russian heartthrob Maria Sharapova, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Kirsten Flipkens, Daniel Nestor, Carlos Moya and top Philippines player Treat Huey.

"Playing in Manila will be fun. The fans there don't get to see a lot of live tennis, so that will be good. With the season being so busy, it can be difficult to take a holiday so you don't often get to travel anywhere different to the countries on the tour," the 27-year-old Scot said.