KPL slotted for June, July: Javagal Srinath

When the new committee comprising legendary bowlers Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath took over the reins of the Karnataka State Cricket Association in 2010, it meant that there would be quite a few changes in the administration of the state cricket unit. Amidst a positive outlook, cricket buffs wondered if Kumble and Srinath would scrap the state’s version of a lucrative Twenty20 Premier League considering they strongly believe that youngsters should not be exposed to the nuances of the shorter format at an early stage in their career.

However, to the surprise of many, the duo has given a go-ahead for the tournament. Though the third edition of the Karnataka Premier League was supposed to be held in August-September last year, it was postponed to 2012 as some of the franchisee owners protested as the dates clashed with the Champions League and that some of the star players like Robin Uthappa, Vinay Kumar would not be available. Also since it was the monsoon season, owners were worried about most of the matches being washed out.

On Tuesday, on the sidelines of the Ranji Quarterfinal between Karnataka and Haryana, Javagal Srinath, the secretary of KSCA informally announced that the state board is keen on hosting the tournament in March or June/July this year. A meeting with the franchisees was held on Tuesday and the owners have come to an agreement with KSCA that they will in-association with the state board promote the game in mofussil areas through KPL.

“We are looking at June-July or March as tentative dates. The owners were keen on having the tournament like a pre-curtain raiser to the fifth season of IPL. We are looking into the possibilities,” Srinath said.

“The response we got in Shimoga for the recently held Ranji Trophy match was tremendous. We intend to have more matches in the mofussils so that we can rejuvenate club cricket in those zones. Also, we have made it mandatory for all the franchisees to have practice in their respective zones as oppose to earlier when the camps were held in Bangalore,” he stated.

KSCA has also set up academies at centres like Shimoga, Raichur and Mangalore and the infrastructure work will be completed mid next year.

“We suggested June-July as tentative dates for KPL because the academies will be up and running by then and it would be convenient to hold camps. We will confirm the dates in the next three weeks,” he concluded.