Karbonn Smart Karnataka Premier League - Developing mofussil cricket
Almost a religion, cricket is played and enjoyed by people across the country. The history of cricket has been dotted by luminaries from Karnataka who have lit up the game and taken it to even greater heights. Be it domestic or international cricket, Karnataka, through the decades, has produced legends of the game who have left an indelible mark in hallowed pages of Indian cricket.
The Karnataka Premier League (KPL) is a T20 league started by the Karnataka State Cricket Association in 2009. Modelled along the lines of the IPL, the idea is to unearth and develop the immense wealth of talent in districts across the State.
Over the years, KPL has become a stage for aspiring cricketers to showcase their skills. In order to encourage these young cricketers in the state, the KPL, this year, has made it mandatory for every team to include two players from their respective catchment areas. In keeping with this objective, teams like Mysore Warriors, Mangalore United, Bellary Tuskers, Hubli Tigers and Belagavi Panthers will conduct a Talent Hunt in their respective districts to discover and hone new talent for their teams.
Speaking about the impact of KPL in Belagavi, Mr. Joe Hoover, CEO Belagavi Panthers, said, “KPL has created massive enthusiasm amongst the people in Belagavi. The talent hunt that we conducted last year saw the participation of over 400 young cricketers and five players were selected for the team from the competition.”
The league serves as a platform for budding cricketers, who perhaps, due to fewer opportunities, would have otherwise remained unrecognised.
“There is no dearth of talent at the district level and players from Belagavi like Ronit More who is a part of the Chennai Super Kings Squad and Parappa Mordi who received an opportunity to attend the Mumbai Indians Camp last year are examples of the fine talent that we have in our team,” he added.
While it becomes a task for teams to narrow down and select just a few players, for the young cricketers the tournament opens several doors which were previously out of their reach. From being trained by well-known coaches to playing with National and Ranji level players, it is a dream come true for many aspiring cricketers.
Young legspinner from Coorg, K.C. Cariappa’s story unravels like this: Discovered last KPL, the young bowler who is now likened to IPL teammate Sunil Narine, was bought for a whopping 2.4 crore by KKR after a fierce round of bidding during the IPL Auction this year. He attributes this success to the KPL. “For me KPL is a very important tournament as it is because of KPL that I was noticed and selected for the KKR team. The tournament provides an excellent opportunity for junior players in Karnataka to showcase their talent and make it big in the world of cricket.”
Along with KC Cariappa, Ronit More and Parappa Mordi, players like J Suchith, Shishir Bhavane and Anirudha Joshi are confidently climbing the ranks of Karnataka cricket with several more waiting in the wings to follow in their footsteps in the forthcoming edition of Karbonn Smart KPL IV.