KPL 2018 Trophy unveiled at gala event

Bangalore, August 13th, 2018: The collective gasp from the audience said it all, as Her Highness Smt. Pramoda Devi Wadiyar and former New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris unveiled the trophy for the Karbonn Smartphone’s Karnataka Premier League Powered by Lakshmi Vilas Bank. The scintillating function was held at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here this evening.

Worth its weight in gold and something which every team would dearly love to hold aloft at the end of the finals on September 6. The magnificent trophy, weighing four kilograms and standing 19.5 inches tall, was designed by brothers Dinesh Kumar & Satish Kumar of Idesign.

This year’s glittering trophy was inspired by the architecture of the great Mysore Palace. The pillars, which are the main attraction has been adopted as the main design element of the trophy and is covered by rich gold-plated floral designs along with a gold-plated cricket ball mounted atop the pillars for the essence of the game. The centrepiece is encased by two large wings on either side which resembles elephant tusks, which again is synonymous with Mysore Royalty. At the highest point of the trophy is an image of the Late Srikanthadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar embedded onto a Swarovski studded Plate. This trophy is a perfect amalgamation of cricket and the artistic elements of the Mysore Palace without losing the aesthetic value for a perfect trophy design.

The trophy launch function was well attended by the KSCA administrators, cricketers, franchise owners, their teams and members of the media, along with the other invitees.

Her Highness, Smt. Pramoda Devi Wadiyar of the Mysore Royal Family said, “I am pleased to learn that the Karnataka State Cricket Association is conducting the ‘Karnataka Premier League’ in Mysore City this year as well. Karnataka state is known for its strong cricketing tradition and is home to some of the finest cricketers the world has seen. My late husband Sri Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar was extremely passionate about cricket and believed that KPL would provide a platform for discovering cricketing talent besides being crucial to further developing the game in Karnataka. Soon after being elected as President of KSCA on 1st December 2013, it was his wish to take this tournament to the next level. I am glad that his passion is being pursued by the Managing Committee of the KSCA by organising the KPL tournament every year as a tribute to him.

Scott Styris said, “This will be my first KPL and I am really looking forward to it. There is a thrill in travelling to different parts of India for such tournaments. When I toured with the New Zealand team we were restricted to major cities. Now I am getting a chance to visit and see the smaller cities, the more rural parts, thanks to tournaments like the KPL. From a cricket perspective, we all know the depth of talent Indian cricket has and it is tournaments such as the KPL that add to this depth. I am aware that a lot of cricketers have gone to play the IPL from the KPL. I sure am looking forward to this edition of the KPL.”

Speaking at the event, Mr Vinay Mruthyunjaya, MC member and the official spokesperson of KSCA said, “KPL has been a great platform for the players. The boys learn to play in front of big crowds and under franchise pressure at a very early stage of their career. IPL teams have appreciated this and hence their scouts come to watch KPL matches and unearth boys from here. I’m sure they would find many more players in whom they’d be interested in this year.”

“KPL is a wonderful stage for the youngsters to show their talent and temperament. It is richly serving the purpose for which it was planned,” he added.

Mr. Sanjay Desai, Honorary President mentioned that, “We are really thrilled to be hosting the Karnataka Premier League’s seventh edition this year. The tournament is going to be held in three cities and we are looking forward to it. KPL has grown to be a big domestic tournament and we want it to be the best tournament in India. And as you can see this trophy is worth fighting for.”

The Karnataka Premier League is fast becoming one of the best domestic cricket leagues in India. With Star Sports and Hotstar as the broadcast partners, the last season of KPL became the second largest viewed domestic cricket league in the country. The viewership went up from 26 million in 2016 to 59 million in 2017 and this year it will be broadcasted in the subcontinents of Asia, Canada, USA and UK along with an option of Kannada commentary.

On social media, KPL created a sensation with Twitter receiving 3.15 million impressions and garnered a Facebook reach of 1,57,02,582, which is huge for a home-grown cricket league. Karnataka Premier League reached a new high with a 222% hike in viewership last year. With great players to watch out for, boosted team morale, strong support from fans and media, the metrics are likely to reach a whole new level this year.

Like the franchises of the league, the sponsors have played a major role in taking the tournament forward year on year. Sponsors like Karbonn Smartphones and Cycle Pure Agarbathies have once again shown their continued support for the tournament. In addition, new partners like Lakshmi Vilas Bank, Fastrack Reflex 2.0, Sherlock, Vimal Paan Masala, State Bank of India and B-Tex have come in to further drive the tournament.

This season’s matches are scheduled to begin on the 15th of August in Bangalore, and from there the caravan will move to Hubli on the 19th of August and Mysore on the 29th of August. The league will be telecast live on Star Sports, Star Sports HD and Hotstar in Canada, UK and the Asia Pacific.