Karnataka Premier League 2016: Brijesh Patel Unveils the 2016 KPL Trophy

Hubbali, September 16, 2016: Brijesh Patel, former Test cricketer, current secretary of KSCA and the motivating force behind the hugely successful KPL T20 cricket tournament officially launched the trophy for the fifth Karbonn Karnataka Premier League powered by Cycle Agarbathies at a glittering function in the city on Friday evening.

The majestic Trophy, weighing 3.5 kgs and standing 20 inches tall, was designed by brothers Dinesh Kumar & Satish Kumar of Idesign. Created to honour the Late Srikantadatta Narashimharaja Wadiyar, the Trophy has a graphic image of the Late Maharaja and features two striking, intricately-designed pillars on either side. The central pillar’s designs have been adapted from the Royal Mysore Palace. These visual features, along with a cricket ball placed on top of the Trophy, suggest the true ‘Spirit of the Game’.

Brijesh Patel said the call to shift the first phase of KPL from Mysuru to Hubbali was taken on Sept. 12 and praised the efforts of the Hubbali Zone administrators Baba Bhushad and Veeranna for working non-stop at making it happen. He called on the team and officials to make every effort to play the game in the right spirit.

He added that a tremendous amount of work had gone in shifting tons of equipment in the last minute from Mysuru to Hubbali and thanked the franchisees for promptly agreeing to his request for the change from Mysuru owing to the Cauvery riots.

The trophy and team jersey launch function was well attended by KSCA administrators, cricketers, franchise owners, their teams and members of the media, along with invitees of the twin cities of Hubbali and Dharwad.

Brijesh Patel in his address said there was a lot of talent in Karnataka which the KPL was at the forefront of unearthing and promoting young aspiring cricketers.

Recalling the supreme efforts of KL Rahul in the T20 against West Indies in USA he said that the youngster was one of the best batsmen in India today and that he had fine-tuned his T20 batting in the KPL.

“The boys learn to play in front of big crowds and under pressure at a very early stage of their development. IPL teams have appreciated this and hence their scouts come to watch KPL matches and unearth boys from here.

“We have already seen how they picked Shivil Kaushik, KC Cariappa, Kishore Kamath, Praveen Dubey and others. I’m sure they would find many more players whom they’d be interested in. KPL is a wonderful platform for the youngsters to show their talent and temperament. It is richly serving the purpose for which it was planned,” he added.

Along with the Trophy launch, the eight teams also launched their jerseys for the tournament with a fashion show that saw the cricketers walking the ramp. The fashion show drew rich applause from a packed audience.

Earlier, PR Ashokanand, President, KSCA, presiding over the function stated that the KPL would be held in two phases: from September 17 to 26 in Hubbali and from September 28 to October 2 in Mysuru. In all, the eight teams taking part would be playing a total of 31 matches. The two Saturdays in Hubbali, including the opening day, would feature three matches a day. On other days there would be an afternoon match and a late evening match under floodlights in both cities.

The eight teams in the fray are: Defending champions Bijapur Bulls, Belagavi Panthers, Bellary Tuskers, Hubli Tigers, Mangalore United, Mysuru Warriors, Namma Shivamogga and the ever popular Rockstars led by superstar Kiccha Sudeep.

The previous winners of the KPL are:

2009: Provident Bangalore Rural

2010: Mangalore United

2014: Mysuru Warriors

2015: Bijapur Bulls.

This year the KPL organising committee has embarked on a magnificent endeavour to boost a social cause. Outlining it, KSCA official spokesperson and committee member Vinay Mruthunjaya said that KPL has tied up with Apollo Hospitals to promote organ donation awareness.

Apollo’s specialist doctors would educate spectators during KPL matches and also on television. There would be an organ donation registration booth at the Stadium. KPL cricketers would endorse and spread the message of organ donation awareness among their fans and followers.

Vinay also said that the formal inauguration of the KPL would be held at the stadium on Saturday evening with former Chief Minister Jagdish Shettar and Vinay Kulkarni, district in charge minister, gracing the occasion.

This apart, the stadium experience of spectators in Mysuru and Hubbali will be considerably enhanced by KSCA providing Yashtel’s WiFi services. This experience would come free of cost and those with smart phones would have a never-before encountered real-time experience in these two cities.

All matches of the Karbonn KPL 2016 will be telecast live and exclusive on Sony ESPN and Sony ESPN HD Channels.