The Karnataka Premier League (KPL) is a T20 Cricket tournament based on the format of the Indian Premier League, with some changes. The Karnataka Premier League is administered by the Karnataka State Cricket Association, which modeled the league in 2008, later to be approved by the BCCI to become the first local cricket league in India.
So far there have been eight editions of KPL, with the latest season concluding in 2018. The teams in Karnataka are a major pool of raw talent from where the prestigious leagues such as IPL pick up their strongest players each season. It is evident that at least 13-16 players from Karnataka alone play in the Indian Premier League each season.
The previous editions of KPL have been well received by the fans and hence KPL 2019 is expected to be grand as well. The first edition of KPL was played in 2009 where Provident Bangalore defeated Belagavi Panthers to win the inaugural season of the league. In the second season that was held in 2010, Provident Bangalore once again made it to the finals but could not retain their title as they lost to Mangalore United. However, after this season three teams (Provident Bangalore, Bangalore Brigadiers & Shamanur Davangere Diamonds) became defunct due to various issues with the KSCA and the league didn’t see its next edition until 2014.
The third edition of Karnataka Premier League was held in 2014, which saw only 7 teams and was won by Mysuru Warriors who defeated Belagavi Panthers in the finals. In the 2015 season, a new team (Namma Shivamogga) made its debut and it was won by Bijapur Bulls as they defeated the Hubli Tigers in the finals. In the fifth season that concluded in 2016, the Hubli Tigers again made a failed attempt to clinch the title after showing a spectacular gameplay throughout the tournament. They were defeated by the Bellary Tuskers who won their inaugural title.
In the sixth season, the Belagavi Panthers won their first ever title as they defeated the Bijapur Bulls. This season saw another team (Rockstars) being defunct. The Bijapur Bulls won their second title in 2018, becoming the first ever team to win the KPL twice.
Also see - KPL 2019 Auction
The tournament is a round robin tournament, with each team playing the other once, before the top 4 teams qualifying for the playoffs. The matches are held in three cities of Karnataka, i.e. Bengaluru (M. Chinnaswamy Stadium), Hubli (KSCA Rajnagar Stadium) and Mysore (Srikantadatta Narasimha Raja Wadeyar Ground). The weekdays have one match starting at 1900 IST whereas the weekends have two matches starting at 1500 IST and 1900 IST respectively.
The seven KPL teams taking part in the seventh season of KPL are same as that of those in the previous season. Hubli Tigers, Bijapur Bulls, Belagavi Panthers, Mysuru Warriors, Bellary Tuskers and Bengaluru Blasters are six of the sides taking part in this season’s competition. The seventh side is Shivamogga Lions who have changed their name from Namma Shivamogga.
The inaugural match of KPL 2019 schedule is to be held to be held on 16 August 2019, where the Bengaluru Blasters will take on the Mysuru Warriors in Bengaluru. The final is scheduled to be held on 1 September 2019 at Mysore.
