Bharath Chipli appointed Bijapur Bulls Captain
Bengaluru, 17 August 2017: The Bijapur Bulls today named Bharath Chipli as the captain for their 2017 campaign in the Karbonn Smartphones Karnataka Premier League (KPL), powered by Cycle Agarbathies.
Having made his first-class debut for Karnataka in 2005, Chipli brings over a decade of experience in domestic cricket. In addition to playing T20 cricket for his state, Chipli has featured in all the seasons of the KPL thus far. He has also had successful stints in the IPL with Deccan Chargers, Delhi Daredevils and the Royal Chargers Bangalore (RCB).
“The side has a bunch of young and enthusiastic cricketers and it’s indeed an honour to lead this group,” said Chipli.
Speaking about the announcement, Mr. Kiran Kattimani, owner of Bijapur Bulls, exuded confidence. “Bharath Chipli has been a prominent figure in the domestic circuit for a considerable period of time now and brings a wealth of local knowledge. Having played with and groomed the players over the years, he is well versed with their abilities and is best suited to lead the team’s campaign this year.”
Bijapur Bulls has featured in every edition of the KPL since the start of the tournament in 2009. The team boasts of a formidable support staff too. Deepak Chougule is the Head Coach and will be supported by V Cheluvaraj as the Assistant Coach. While Chougule earned 26 first-class caps with Karnataka and Jharkhand, Cheluvaraj earned his stripes with 29 first-class matches for Railways.
Other prominent names in the squad are India fast bowler Abhimanyu Mithun and Ronit More, a regular for Karnataka in first-class cricket. Mithun has worn the colours of RCB, Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, while More will bring his experience of having played for the Chennai Super Kings.
This year, the team is comprised of several youngsters from the state U-22 and U-19 squads. The franchise recognises the need to build for the future and has made an earnest effort to draft players with all-round abilities.
Owned by Vivid Kreations, Bijapur Bulls has been pivotal towards the promotion and development of cricket in the Bijapura region of Karnataka through its association with the KPL. This season, it has roped in two cricketers from the region as a part of its efforts to promote talent from the district. The team won the 2015 edition of the KPL and has kick started its campaign this season via pre-tournament conditioning and training sessions.