Why the KPL is the way to go forward for many state cricket associations around India?

When the Indian Premier League was conceived and finally rolled out, there was this prevalent feeling that cricket in India would received a major shot in the arm. Over the 9 seasons of the tournament, the IPL has had its share of controversies and hullabaloo, but there is no denying the fact that this tournament has been a blitz which has changed the dynamics of not only Indian but also World cricket.

However, people are not entirely convinced with the ability of the league to penetrate deeper into the mofussil areas, which is away from the traditional hotspot areas. As a result, raw talent more often than not slips under the radar. Hence, the expanse of the game is restricted to only few areas around the major cricketing destinations. In order the bridge this massive gulf, Karnataka took the lead in creating their own regional league, which is the Karnataka Premier League. The KPL was kick started in 2009, and got the recognition of the BCCI. There are as many 7 teams in the competition and only Karnataka players are allowed to participate in the tournament. Now, many would argue that when there is a constant complaint about an overdose of cricket, what is the need of such provincial leagues? Well, the answer lies in the question. Owing to too much cricket, we never pay heed to expanding the game to the grassroots and thus we are only putting a ceiling on ourselves when it comes to identifying fresh talent and grooming them for the future.

The Karnataka Premier League is an example of one such provincial tournament which is allowing young cricketers to share stage with accomplished state players. Now, very often due to limited financial abilities many of these players never get the opportunity to step out from their own town or city, and this impeded their growth massively. Thus, as the KPL dives deep, and seeps into the nook and corner of the state, these very young cricketers can step out with a lot of confidence and also with financial stability. Let us not forget, that at the end of the day, money does play a vital role in galvanising opinions.

So much going for the tournament

One of the most important factors go in favour of the KPL is the fact that these fringe players get the opportunity to display their skills in front of packed stadiums, and the ability to dish out an A-game when the cameras are on is an important criteria to succeed. This has become a stepping stone to bigger stages, and many IPL scouts have visited KPL matches and have snapped up players on the basis of their performances here. Names like J Suchith, KC Cariappa, Shishir Bhavane and Shivil Kaushik, to name a few, have received IPL contracts on the basis of their performances in the KPL.

"We started KPL to encourage cricketers in rural areas. We wanted to give them the IPL experience - cricket with white ball, coloured clothing and the pressure of the franchises. Players who have performed well have gone on to play in the IPL. We have grown rapidly, as we only started in 2009, but the impact of KPL has been felt all over. Both the players and the state have benefitted a lot from the KPL, and then from the IPL", KSCA secretary, Brijesh Patel said during the launch of this year's KPL.

"The first edition had KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Karun Nair, who got picked up in the first slot, and then we have KC Cariappa and Shivil Kaushik. These were the guys who were unknown but were picked up by different IPL games”, Patel added.

This and the fact that Karnataka have been one of the most consistent domestic teams over the past 3-4 years have ignited much interest among the talent scouts snapping up players for the Indian Premier League. While runs and wickets have always been parameters to judge players, the scouts also look for the temperament of the players and their ability to respond to tricky and tough situations. Now, since the level of KPL matches are very high, hence it is a perfect grooming ground for the young and untested players.

Along the same lines, Tamil Nadu has also announced their own league in the form of Tamil Nadu Premier League, and one only hopes that many other states start doing the same, for the only way to sustain the popularity of any sport is by expanding its horizon. Not many players get the chance to make their First class debut, but then these provincial leagues allow the players to transcend to a higher level and then build on their careers from this very launching pad.

Going forward, one only hopes that many other state cricket associations look into establishing their own league and expanding the sport deep into fringe areas. There is no dearth of talent in the country, one just needs the eye to catch them and then nurture them going forward. India is blessed with a vast cultural and geographical domain, and ideally this should be turned into our own advantage, and these provincial leagues can do just that!